Diamond Heart
by SummerRain626
Summary: After the prison attack, Daryl and Abby get out together. This is basically how things would be different if my character, Abby, took the place of Beth. Romance with Daryl.
1. Going Nowhere

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Abby!**

Later that night, Daryl and I were sitting by a campfire in the woods again. Neither of us were talking. I guess we didn't have anything to say. I just sat there sort of depressed. It began to thunder and lightning, and walkers started coming, so we had to go. We had to find shelter and fast.

We ran out of the woods and onto the road; there was a car there. I checked it while Daryl kept watch. The keys were still inside. I turned it on, but it wouldn't start. We heard the walkers coming, so a little bit of panic set in.

Daryl lifted the trunk and we quickly crawled inside. We squeezed in, and it was real hot and gross but it was our best bet. Daryl tied the trunk shut, and sat back with his crossbow at the ready. I only had a knife, I sat there ready in case they got in. We could hear their terrible screams, but I wasn't scared. I was mad. I was mad that our home got destroyed and a lot of good people were killed. I was mad that I didn't know where my family was, or even if they were still alive. And most importantly, I was mad that I was stuck with somebody who was acting like they didn't give a shit about me or anything that just happened. Daryl wasn't like he used to be. He became a really good person, and asset to the group. So, I couldn't figure out why he was being like this.

* * *

When we were sure the walkers were gone, I untied the trunk and lifted it. It was morning, we sure were in there for a long time.

I stepped out, and began collecting things that could be useful to set up camp. Daryl did, as well.

Once I had everything I needed, I began walking away, not even bothering to wait for Daryl. If he's going to be a jerk to me then I'll be a jerk to him. I think I remember thinking that once before.

* * *

We were back in the woods again somewhere. I set up camp while Daryl was hunting. I doubt he'll find anything, maybe a few squirrels.

I made a fire using the mirror that I found. It was pretty small, but it would have to do.

Daryl came back a little later with a snake. I never ate snake meat before, I'm so hungry though, I don't even care.

* * *

The snake wasn't that bad, but it was too rubbery so it kind of made me sick. I just picked at it, and threw the rest on the ground.

I watched Daryl eat away at the snake. It was a little gross to be honest.

 _Look at him._ I thought. _He doesn't care about anything. He probably wouldn't even care if I wasn't here._

Well, he can sit there and be miserable, I'm not letting him bring me down too. I'm not just going to sit here and mope. I need things. On top of that, I just got over being really sick. I'm not trying to stay in the woods anymore.

I got up, grabbed my knife and walked away without saying anything to Daryl or even looking at him.

As I was walking through the woods, I saw about five walkers. I got a little scared and hid behind a tree. Then, I thought to myself, _don't be a wimp, you can take them._

"Come and get me." I said so they would hear me.

They all made their way towards me. I kicked one of them as hard as I could, and it hit into another one, making both of them fall to the ground. I quickly stabbed the one currently coming towards me in the head. The next two came at me at the same time, so I had a little trouble, but I pushed one of them back, and eventually killed them both. The two I had kicked were now there too. I kicked one of them back down to the ground, and stabbed the other. Then, I got down on the ground with the other, and stabbed it as well.

I stood up, and caught my breath. _Wow. I didn't think I had it in me._

Once I straightened up, I started walking again. I made my way out of the woods, and started walking down the street.

"Hey!" I heard Daryl call me. I ignored him, and kept walking. "Hey!" He grabbed the back of my shirt, and yanked me back. "What the hell do ya thank yer doin'?"

"What the hell are _you_ doing?" I snapped. He just glared at me. "You can sit there and be miserable all you want," I started walking backwards, "but I need things, so you can come with me or not, but I'm goin'."

I walked farther down the road. I happened to look over my shoulder, and saw Daryl in the distance behind me. I guess he decided to come with me after all.

I'm not sure how long we were walking, but we came across a small town. I found a store, and looked in the window. I knocked on the glass, and waited a few minutes to see if any walkers were inside. Daryl caught up to me.

It seemed as though the coast was clear, so I went in.

I got some personal items that I needed and shoved them in my bag. I was able to change my shirt because I found a rack of T-shirts. I was glad, the tank top I had on was really gross.

Then, I went over to medications. I wanted see if I could find anything to help me feel better. I had a pretty bad headache.

I saw a bottle of Advil on the top shelf, it was the last one.

I stepped up on the bottom shelf, but I still couldn't reach it. It was pushed pretty far back.

I got back down, and looked around for Daryl, but I didn't see him. I don't think the next shelf could hold me. It looks pretty old, it could fall down any minute. I waited a little to see if Daryl would come by, but he didn't. And, so, I took my chances and I climbed up on the shelves. It made a loud creak, so I grabbed the bottle as fast as I could and got down. The remaining items on the shelf, coming with me.

I stumbled backwards a little, and bumped into Daryl. He grabbed me, and kept me steady, but when I turned around, I was met with a glare.

I walked passed him over to where the frozen food section was. There was a few canned goods on the other side, so I started going through them and checking the expiration dates. I abruptly turned around because I thought I heard something crack.

However, there was nothing, so I went back to checking the food.

Suddenly, I heard glass break and a bunch of moans.

About seven or eight walkers came out at me!

"Oh shit!" I stabbed one of them, and pushed another back. Then, I ran to Daryl.

"Daryl!" I yelled. "We gotta go!" He saw the walkers coming behind me, and we both started running. He stopped all of a sudden, and turned around to fight.

He shot the first two with his crossbow. The next one he slammed against the wall so hard that its head broke open. He stabbed two more of them with his knife. There were only two left now. I contemplated helping him, but decided not to because he was so angry and also he didn't appear to be struggling at all. He ripped a shelf off the wall, and hit one of them in the shin, making them fall to the floor, then curbed stomped its head. The last, he beat angrily with the shelf. He threw the shelf back, which almost hit me. He looked at me while breathing heavy.

I didn't know what to say. There wasn't anything _to_ say. He was mad for the same reasons that I was. So, I just turned and walked out.

* * *

Up the road, I could see a church. I don't know why, but something made me want to go in there, so that's what I did.

We checked everywhere inside before settling down. The last place was the bathroom. There was only one walker inside. "I got him." I said to Daryl. After I stabbed the walker, I could smell something really bad. "Ew, _someone_ took a holy shit." I said.

I think I might have heard Daryl snicker as I was walking out, but I wasn't sure.

I went to church occasionally before the turn. I knew where the goods were kept. I looked around the office, but didn't find anything. I was beginning to feel a little faint, so I went to go sit down.

Daryl gave me a weird look when I walked out.

I leaned over the pew, and when I looked up I saw a bunch of black dots. Then, everything went black. It only lasted for seconds though. I felt Daryl lifting me up by my arms, but I quickly came to and got up on my own.

"I'm okay." I said a little scared. "I'm fine."

Daryl just stared at me. I sat down, I was shaking a little. I tried to get comfortable but couldn't.

"Get up." Daryl said. "We cain't stay here."

I looked at him sadly.

"Ya just got over bein' really sick." He stated. "Come on."

I was surprised that he said that. Maybe he does care.

We wandered back into the woods. Daryl lead us to this one little house, that was like in the middle of nowhere. There was something creepy about it.

We went inside and checked the rooms.

After making sure it was clear, I immediately made a fire in the fireplace.

I sat back and saw Daryl staring at me. It made me self conscious for some reason, so I went to go have a look around.

I ended up in the shed. There were shelves with lots of old food on them. I checked the expiration dates. Mostly everything was expired even before the turn. I bet old people lived here, just like my grandparents. They always kept food passed the expiration dates.

When I looked up, I saw about the best thing I have seen in a while. It was a bunch of jars filled with alcohol, I assumed.

Daryl was there in seconds. "You okay?" He said.

"Yeah, look what I found." I said holding the crate up. He gave me an almost irritated look.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Moonshine."

I went into the kitchen, and sat the crate on the table. I took two of the jars out.

"Here." I handed Daryl a glass, he was boarding up a window.

"Nah, I'm good." He said.

"Why?"

"Someone's gotta keep watch." He stated.

"We'll take turns." I suggested.

He snorted. "Nah."

I was a little disappointed. I was hoping I could get him to relax for once.

I went over by the fire and sat down. I felt lonely, and really missed my dad. There's a good chance that he's still out there, but…I may never see him again. The thought made me depressed. I just sat there, and sadly sipped my moonshine.

"Ya ever have moonshine before?" Daryl said to me.

I shrugged. "Actually, yes." I said sadly.

I heard Daryl sigh. "Hell." He said, picking up the jar I left him. He came into the living room where I was and sat in one of the chairs. I pulled my knees up to my chest, and rested my cheek on my knee. A little later, Daryl said, "I didn't think ya knew how to not talk." I didn't know what to say to that, so I just shrugged. "What, no stories?"

I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not, so it took me a while to think of what to say. "I'm off duty." I said without looking at him.

Daryl snorted. "Yer off duty? What's that supposed to mean?"

I sighed loudly before answering. "It means I'm done." I looked over at him, I couldn't read his expression. "Being stupid." We stared at each other for a minute. Finally, I looked away. "I only did that for my dad anyway. Well…not just for him, _mainly_ for him but for everyone else too. When they were feeling down, I tried to cheer them up. Tried to brighten things a little. But," I cleared my throat, "I don't have to do that anymore cuz he's not here and _you_ don't care about that stuff." I looked back at him. "So, I'm off duty."

Daryl stared at me for a minute. It was making me uncomfortable so I looked away. "What makes you thank I don't care about that stuff?" He finally said.

I almost laughed. _Is he serious?_ "Because you don't." I looked at him again. "If I wouldn't have made us leave to go look for supplies, you'd still be sitting there in the woods staring at nothing." I was feeling brave I guess. Daryl was just looking at me, I couldn't tell if he was mad or not. I didn't want him to be mad, that was never my plan. "And…you should be happy that I was being quiet. That way I can't annoy you."

"Who said I thought ya were annoyin'?" He roughly asked. "And quit tryin' to play victim."

"I'm not playing victim." I quickly answered. "And I just assumed." I shrugged.

"Well, it ain't true."

I looked at the ground. "So, how'd you know where this place was?" I said changing the subject. I didn't want anymore problems. The last thing we need is for us to get into an argument.

"Found this place with Michonne." He stated.

"Did you guys get drunk?"

He snorted. "No."

"This kinda reminds me of my friend's house."

"My dad had a place just like this." Daryl said. "He was a dumbass."

I chuckled. I guess maybe he actually wants to talk. "Has to be one in every family."

"Oh, yeah? Who's the dumbass in yer family?" Daryl asked without looking at me. "And ya best not say yer pop." Daryl got up to board up the living room window.

"No, it's my uncle." I laughed. "My _dad's_ brother."

He slowly turned around. "Didn't know your dad had a brother."

"Yup, my uncle Jeffrey." I watched him. "Why can't you just relax for once?"

"Cuz I cain't." He looked at me. "And you shouldn't be drankin."

"Why, because I'm too young?"

"No, cuz ya just got over bein' sick." Daryl stated.

"Well…I forgot to mention that my family has two dumbasses."

He smirked. "Well…when ya get sick, don't come cryin to me."

"Have you ever seen me cry?" I asked seriously.

He looked at me for a few seconds, then picked his jar up and sat down.

"Can I ask you a serious question?" I asked him. He just looked at me. "What exactly is a chupacabra?"

"A creature that sorta looks like a dog."

"So, it's like for real?" I asked with a smirk.

"I don't know." He shrugged.

"You said you saw one!"

"Yeah, well…I seen a lot 'a thangs."

"So, you lied?" I emphasized _lied._

"I ain't no liar." Daryl said roughly.

"Maybe you just smoked a little too much that night." I laughed.

He snorted. "You would know."

"Thanks." I giggled.

"Wasn't really a compliment."

I smiled to myself. "Wish I had some weed right now. We could get high." I raised my eyebrows.

"You'd be smokin' it yerself cuz I ain't gettin' high."

"What? You wouldn't get high with me?" I kind of laugh. "Why not?"

"Nah. I hate drugs." Daryl said roughly.

"Really?" My eyes widened a little. He just nodded. "Well…that's kinda cool." I half smiled at him. He just looked at me. "Is it cuz…" I trailed off. _Maybe I shouldn't say that._ "Never mind."

"What?" He looked at me. I shook my head. "No, what?" He pressed.

I cleared my throat. "Is it because of your brother?" I decided to just say it. He wanted to know.

"Yeah." Was all he said. I looked at him differently after that. _I respect him for that._

I took a sip of the moonshine. "Well, what do you like to do for fun?" I asked.

"I don't."

"So, you don't have any hobbies or anything?"

"Nope."

"Really?" I asked surprised. "You don't like books or movies or music or…anything?"

"Not really." He replied. I watched him take a long sip of his moonshine. "Just huntin."

I grimaced. _How could he drink that so easily?_ "Well…what about Merle?" I asked. "Didn't you guys ever just hangout?"

"Well, sure." He shrugged.

I was waiting for him to say something else, but he didn't. "Well…what did you do?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Why you interrogatin' me?"

"I'm not." I said. "I'm just trying to get to know you a little better."

"I ain't much of a talker if ya haven't already noticed." He said nonchalantly.

I tapped my fingers together nervously. "Does that mean you're a listener?" I looked at him more closely. He shrugged. _Ugh!_ I took a sip of the moonshine. _This conversation is going nowhere._ I watched him take another long sip of his drink. "How can you just drink that like that?" I questioned him. "It's like rubbing alcohol; You could clean mold with this."

"I'm just used to it, I guess."

"I don't think I could ever get used to it." I admitted. I wasn't a lightweight, but there are some things that are just unbearable to drink because of the taste.

"That's a good thing." He raised his eyebrows.

"I guess."

I watched Daryl take another long sip. _Yeah, that's right. Keep drinking._ I let out a small laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." I shrugged taking a small sip. "I just realized I never really saw you drunk before."

"That's also a good thing." He said.

I giggled even though I was a little confused. _Wonder what he means by that?_


	2. Snow Globe

We continued to drink and make small talk. I was feeling it, so Daryl definitely had to be feeling something because he drank more than me.

"I like looking at the stars." I stated. "Maybe…we can look at them tonight."

"Sure." Was all he said.

I started laughing. "That kinda sounded like I just asked you out."

He snorted. "Sorry, I don't go fer skanks." He smirked.

I think he was joking, but the way he said it made me look at him. He noticed and looked like he wished he didn't say that.

"What?" I let out a nervous laugh. "You think I'm a skank?"

"It was a joke." He said with a smirk, but it slowly faded.

"Well, yeah, I know that," I said, "but why would you say that?"

He shook his head. "I didn't mean anythang by it. It was just a joke."

I thought for a minute. "Oh, okay." I smiled.

"I just said it because…"

I looked back up at him.

"…I saw ya with that boy…back at the farm." He stated. _Oh okay. That's understandable._ I was just going to let it go, but Daryl continued. "And what my brother told me." It was out before he could stop himself.

 _Really wish he wouldn't have said that last part._ He looked the same way whenever I looked up at him. I grew pretty angry, and fast. "And what exactly _did_ he tell you?"

"Nothin'." He replied. "Just forget it."

"No." I snapped. "You can't start to say something, and just stop. I wanna know. Tell me!"

He cleared his throat. "He just said that…you two was foolin' around." He looked like he got a little nervous. _So, it finally comes out. Looks like he_ was _telling the truth. What a jerk!_ When I didn't say anything, Daryl, I guess, tried to make it better. "But I don't care if ya did or didn't…"

"We didn't!" I snapped, cutting him off. "I would never!"

There was an awkward silence.

"I'm not like that." I said a little calmer. The truth was, I was a little bit hurt. Why would he say that? He doesn't know me that well. Well…I guess it could be the alcohol. "And by the way, Jimmy kissed _me_ , and it was one time. I told him to stop after that."

"Whatever." Daryl said roughly.

"Hey, you're the one who brought it up."

"Yeah, well I wish I wouldn't have." He snapped.

"Yeah, I wish you wouldn't have either!" I yelled. "How do you think I feel? You must think I'm a real whore if you think I'd fuck around with a man that much older than me. Let alone…Merle." I scrunched my nose up in disgust.

"What's that s'posed to mean?" He asked roughly.

"Your brother's fucking disgusting." I raised my eyebrows.

"Well, if ya thought he was disgustin', then why was ya always hangin' around 'im?" He yelled.

"Because he reminded me of my cousin." I said. "He was my friend."

"Ya don't make any sense!" He yelled. "Ya don't even know what you're talkin' about! You're just a little girl with a foul mouth!"

I stood up. "Then what does that make you?" I yelled. "A careless fool?"

He was on his feet in a minute. "Me, careless? Ya practically had to kill yer own mom, and ya couldn't even shed a tear! Yer whole family's gone, and yer out here makin' jokes and drinkin' like nothin' even matters but yourself!"

I was getting really fired up, and when I get fired up, it triggers my anxiety. I tried to calm down, so I took a sip of my drink. My hand was shaking uncontrollably. I turned and tried to walk outside.

"Where ya goin'?" Daryl grabbed my arm. "Huh?" He yelled.

"Just stop!" I yelled, making my voice crack.

"What the hell do ya want from me, girl?" Daryl yelled.

"I just wanted you to chill out and relax for once!" I yelled. "You had so much weighing on your shoulders all the time!"

"Yeah, cuz ya really care about that." He said.

"It's true!" I pushed my hair out of my face. "I just wanted us to be friends."

"Friends?" He snorted. "Ya had so many of those, and look where they are now." _Ouch!_ "Ya know, I think I figured ya out!" Daryl said. "You try to act like you're such a good person, but really you're just a…self-centered, little bitch!"

I looked down, and then back at him. That actually stung a little.

I sighed. "Fuck you, man." I said. "You just don't get it."

"No, you don't get it! He yelled. "Everyone we know is dead!"

"You don't know that!"

"They might as well be because you ain't ever gonna see 'em again!" He yelled. "Rick and Carl."

"Daryl, just stop." I said.

"No!" He continued to yell. "Ya know, back at that church, when ya fainted? I thought of Rick. I respected yer dad a lot. So, I thought I'd help his daughter out. That's why I brought ya here. Not to make friends or "get to know each other better." He mocked me. "I did it for Rick, and that's the only reason."

That hurt a lot. I looked at the ground. "Oh." I said quietly and squinted at him. "Okay." I sat down at the dining room table. So, he doesn't want to be friends, he made it very clear. I guess that's just how it's going to be. I won't talk to him then.

* * *

We were quiet for a long time, I finally got sick of the silence and stared at Daryl. He was just sitting there, miserable just like before. I wasn't going to say anything but…I think I'm going to. I started shaking my head. "I don't get it. I'm confused." He looked up at me. "You don't make sense." I paused while he just looked at me. "You're pissed." I nodded. "Yeah, I get that. You're pissed because all of our people are gone. I say gone because we don't know that they're dead. But the thing is, you didn't even want to TRY to go look for them. Yet, you wanna sit here and be miserable?" I cocked an eyebrow. "Also, I don't know why you're being so cold towards me. _I_ didn't do anything to you. And-and if our people really are dead, I'm not. I'M still here. But you don't care about that. You think I'm helpless. Weak." I took a breath. "I bet…if it was my dad instead of me here, you wouldn't be like this." I gave him a dirty look then walked into the living room.

It was quiet for minute. Then, Daryl finally spoke. "Yeah?" He cleared his throat. I was actually a little relieved that I was about to get a response back, even if it was bad. "Yeah, what do you know?" He sounded angry.

"I know a lot of things." I turned to him from my spot. "Ask me anything, I'm an open book."

"Okay, so…if you miss yer dad so much, then how come ya don't seem more upset? Huh?" He snapped.

"What am I supposed to do? Sit here and cry all day? That's not gonna do anything." I became more angry and defensive. "And at least I actually wanna to do stuff, not like you that wants to live in the woods and stare at a fire." I snapped.

"Yeah?" He came walking over to me. "In case you haven't realized, in case you haven't caught on cuz we all know yer a little slow, the world _you_ know is gone. There ain't no more parties and amusement parks and shows. There ain't no _fun._ Everythang's gone!"

I looked up at him when he called me slow. He knows that would hurt me, but I'm not going to let him know that he did. I glared at him then looked down at the floor. I swallowed hard. "I'm slow, huh?" I looked at him and nodded. I stood up and faced him. "Well, you're a follower." I pointed. "Yeah, all you do is follow people. You followed my dad and before him you followed Shane. You even followed me today." I kind of laughed. "And before this, you followed your brother. Everywhere. Isn't that right?" I said it purposely to be cruel and I didn't care. I probably should have stopped there because he looked really angry but I continued. "You're like a dog." I whistled. "Come here, Daryl. Come here, boy." I called like I was calling a dog. "Come get the walkers. Oh! You got a squirrel? Good boy! Who's a good boy?" I laughed pretty hard.

Daryl was looking very angry. "At least I don't gotta rely on anyone else fer anythang." He snapped.

I shrugged. "We were brought up differently." Daryl snorted. "It's true. We were." I shrugged again. "You had a dad that didn't give a shit about you so you had to fend for yourself. I didn't. I had two loving parents who took care of me." I scoffed. "What? You want me to apologize?" I let out a small laugh. "Okay, I'm sorry for having a better childhood than you." I shook my head. "You'd think you wouldn't wish that on anyone. Hm."

"That's not what I said." He angrily waved at me. "Ya know what, why don't you just shut the hell up?"

"Don't try to insult me. I'll come back way harder. You can't hurt me." I said matter of factly.

"I told you to shut up!" He yelled. "Don't you listen to anythang?"

"Yeah, when _I_ want to." I crossed my arms over my chest. "No one tells me what to do. I've been doing what I wanted since I was thirteen and it's going to stay that way until the day I die." Daryl was glaring at me very hard. _If looks could kill…_

Suddenly, he made his way over to me and grabbed my arm really hard. "Hey." I said.

"Spoiled brat." He said shaking his head. "I'll teach ya to do what yer told." He snapped. "Com'ere!" He wrapped an arm around my waist and lifted me then sat down and threw me over his lap. My eyes went wide and I didn't even have time to react before his hand came crashing down on my butt.

"Ah!" I cried out. I was more than surprised that he did it. I heard him make a noise through his noise and then he smacked me some more. It smarted very badly. He sure knows how to hit. I finally snapped out of it. "Daryl, stop! What are you doing?" I yelled angrily. "Get the fuck off! Let me go!" I was fuming. _Who does he think he is, spanking me like a little kid?_

"I'm doin' what yer daddy shoulda done!" He said roughly and continued to spank me.

Just then, we heard a noise outside. Daryl quickly stood up, I caught myself and I turned around with my gun up and my eyes wide. _Damn it! We must have drawn walkers with our loud voices._ Then, we heard gunshots and people came in through the back door. I tried to run but I was met in the other room with a gun pointed at me. "Drop it, sweetheart." A man said to me. I let my gun hit the floor as I glared at him. He picked my gun up then pointed with his gun to go back in the other room. I continued to glare at him then started walking. Rolling my eyes with an annoyed feeling as his gun touched my back. I saw that there were three of them. They had their guns pointed at Daryl who was forced to sit at the table. "Right over there next to your friend." The man shoved me.

I sat down in front of Daryl and sighed quietly. We're screwed.

* * *

The guys had gathered up our weapons and the little supplies we had. I was feeling annoyed, I was calmed down from earlier but very annoyed and for some reason, I did not feel scared. "Any batteries?" One of the guys asked another.

"No. Nothin' but a few canned goods and one water."

"We don't have anything for you if that's what you came for." I said. I guess I was feeling confident.

Just then, one of the guys walked over to me. "No, it isn't." He said. Then he hit me in the mouth with his pistol.

"Ah!" I yelled and hit the ground. I licked my lip where I was hit and tasted blood. It hurt pretty bad but I didn't cry. I looked up at the guy that hit me.

"Get up!" He said. He grabbed me by my arm and hauled me up. "My my." He looked down at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize how stunning you looked." He had his hand on the back of my head so I had to look at him. He stroked my cheek and then his hand traveled down until he got to my chest. "Look at them titties." He tried to pull my shirt down but I smacked his hand away making him laugh. He tightened his grip on me. "Ay," he turned to his buddies, "I'm gonna take this one upstairs." My eyes widened a little. He looked back at me. "Maybe she can help me find some more stuff." He laughed. I swallowed hard but didn't show that I was scared. My eyes drifted over to Daryl for a moment, he looked pissed, as usual, but it also looked like he had a bit of concern on his face. "Come on, darlin'." The man pulled me away. I didn't protest. I didn't try to fight him. That's what I wanted; to make him think I wasn't a fighter.

"Hey, I get her when you're done." One of the other guys called.

I was taken upstairs to the first room on the right. He shoved me inside hard making me hit into the dresser, I held onto it to catch my balance. I turned my head slowly to look at him. "Make it easy on me and take ya clothes off." He ordered. I glared at him. He saw that I had no intentions on doing what he said, he made his way over to me and started touching me everywhere. I grimaced. _This is not happening._ I told myself. I wasn't going to let him rape me. He shoved me to the ground hard, my shirt ripped a little on the side. "Uh." I said. I was facing away from him, which is really bad. This cannot happen! I have to get out of this somehow. And it has to be one hundred and ten percent me because no one can help me right now. I can't rely on anyone else.

Just then, I noticed a snow globe in a pile of junk next to me. My eyes widened.

"Come on, sweetheart." He said. I picked the snow globe up and hit him in the face as hard as I could, it broke over him and he yelled out in pain. "My eyes!" He said covering them. Shards of glass must have got in them. Then, I kicked him in the leg like I do to walkers and he went down. I grabbed his gun and was about to shoot him but then I stopped myself. They will hear it downstairs and then come up here. So, I grabbed his knife and slit his throat. Blood sprayed on my face and neck. He was done after that but I wasn't. I had to make sure he didn't turn. This is going to be hard. I held the knife up with two hands and brought it down as hard as I could stabbing him in the head. Now, now I'm done. _Good job._ I sat back catching my breath.

* * *

I made my way down the stairs as quietly as possible. Peeking around the corner, I saw that everything was still exactly how I left it. The two guys were still there holding up Daryl, talking to him I think. From where I could see, Daryl was okay. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then, I glared. I pointed the gun and aimed it right at one of their heads. I pulled the trigger and he went down. "What the hell?" The last guy said. He was tackled to the ground by Daryl. Another gunshot was heard and I quickly took cover. He pulled the trigger when Daryl took him down.

Somehow in their fight, the guy ripped Daryl's shirt completely open in the back. I saw all these scars on his back and just kind of paused for a minute. The man ended up on top of Daryl. He was punching him in the face. I pointed my gun and shot him dead. Daryl threw the body off of him then looked at me. I immediately went over to the other body and searched his pockets for his weapons and shit and also our weapons and supplies. Daryl got his crossbow back. While we were doing that, I said to Daryl, "these guys might have other friends. We should get outta here before they come looking for them."

Daryl nodded. We gathered up our shit and got the hell out of there.

* * *

 **Hey guys! I just redid this story and I'm also adding to it!**


	3. Flame

We ran for a long time until we found a little neighborhood, we were far enough away that we could finally settle down. We picked a house and made sure it was clear. I checked upstairs while Daryl checked downstairs. My half of the house was clear and I didn't hear Daryl say anything so his was probably good too.

I looked around while I was up there. I found a plain black shirt and changed out of the one that had the tear in it. The new one was oddly shaped and was a little too long in the front and back, but I didn't care. It was clean.

I finally looked in the mirror at myself. My face was pretty much covered in blood and I had a split lip from the guy hitting me with his gun. I sighed and started wiping the blood off my face. I also ran my hands through my hair, it was still too short for a ponytail.

I was about to go downstairs but then I stopped in front of another room and had a thought to get Daryl a new shirt. His did completely rip after all. I grimaced as I remembered seeing those scars on his back. I had so many questions. _Where did he get them? Who did that to him? And with what?_ I looked around in the closet for a man shirt. I remembered just then when I thought of Daryl that he spanked me. My face went red. _I can't believe he did that!_ The thing that's got me the most is that…part of me actually liked it…

* * *

Daryl was in the dining room when I walked into the room, I wasn't sure what he was doing. I went through the kitchen and came up behind him. "Here." I said quietly and sat the shirt on the table.

I walked over into the living room and started to light some candles. It had gotten pretty dark. I heard the sound of material ripping and looked over at Daryl, he was ripping the sleeves off. That's what he does with all his shirts. He won't when the weather changes, which should be happening soon.

I sat down on the couch with a candle in front of me on the coffee table, I was just looking at the little flicker of the flame…

"What'd ya light so many damn candles for?" Daryl said to me.

I looked at him then back at the candle. "I like candles." I finally replied. He walked into the room and sat down in a chair. We were both quiet for a long time. I absentmindedly looked up and around and realized Daryl was looking at me. I just looked back down.

"Hey." He said making me look at him. "Did…did that guy…do somethin' to you?"

I stared at him for a minute then looked back down at my candle. "He didn't rape me, if that's what you're asking." I said with raised eyebrows. "But he did touch me. Everywhere."

"I'm sorry that—

"I handled it." I cut him off quickly and looked at him. "He's taken care of and gone so it doesn't matter anymore." I think I saw Daryl nod but I'm not sure, he continued to stare at me. I looked away from him. I kind of regretted the way I said that, I don't want him to think I'm mad at him. Despite all the horrible things we said to each other, I wasn't mad. I still want us to be friends, but I don't think he wants to. "This one smells nice." I said referring to the candle, I think I just said it to be saying something. He didn't say anything to that. I sighed and sat back.

I started thinking about everything and finally the emotions were catching up to me. I didn't stop myself, I let me get upset. _I_ did. I couldn't take it anymore and started saying my thoughts out loud. "You know," I started, "I wasn't worried when we left the prison because I thought we all would have found each other by now." I didn't look up at Daryl, I just stared at my little flame. "Maybe…maybe we don't see them ever again. And I know." I finally looked at him. "I know things don't get better. They only get worse…but…" I stopped because I could feel the tears coming. My lip began to quiver and a took a deep breath. "I didn't expect this." I started crying a little and laid down. I didn't cry very hard and not for very long, maybe like two minutes. I took a few deep breaths and stopped crying, wiping away the remaining tears. I still laid there with my hands over my eyes until I was completely calmed down.

Once I did, I swung my legs on the side of the couch and just sat there. I took a few more breaths. "You can sleep for a while if you want." I said to Daryl. "I can keep watch." I stood up, blew my candle out then walked into the other room.

* * *

I could see through the curtain on the one window, it gave me a pretty good view to outside. Taking a glance in the other room, I saw that Daryl listened to me and went to sleep on the couch. He deserves a rest.

I looked back at the window. I wonder if he really doesn't care about me? I know he did before, when we were at the prison and that but what if that was just because of everyone else being there? And because of the circumstances. I tried to think real hard. Has he ever done anything for me to show me that he cares for _me_ personally? I couldn't think of anything. Then, I started to feel upset again. I bet he wouldn't be like this with me if I were Michonne or Carol or Maggie. My eyes welled up with tears and I took a few deep breaths.

I had to take a quick walk to the back door and check around out back there because I was about to cry and I didn't want to wake up Daryl. I finally just gave in and let myself cry.

It hurt. Bad. This pain that I had inside. It wasn't just now either, it was back at the prison too. Carl said he heard me crying. I remember wondering if anyone else heard me? If they did, they didn't care. I put my hands on both sides of my face and kind of wiped my tears with my pinky fingers. I stayed back there until I stopped crying. Then, I went back to the front window and kind of leaned my head against it.

I didn't feel anything.

At all.

This is depression.

* * *

The next day, I wasn't feeling as bad as I was last night. I'm sure the depression is still there and will pop up at some point again, but I was pretty content right now. It probably had something to do with me crying last night. Maybe I needed to get that out. No one was there to comfort me, but I did it myself. That's when I realized that…I don't need anyone else. The only person in the world that can make me feel better is me. No one makes me laugh harder than me. No one makes me cry harder than me. So that means, no one can comfort me better than me. I'm my own worst enemy but I'm also my own best friend. I was going to do fine on my own. And it gave me some confidence to know that.

Daryl and I pretty much stayed away from each other that whole day. It had gotten late and I was sitting at the dining room table writing some stuff when Daryl walked in. "Hey." He said to me.

"Hey." I said.

"You should get some sleep now. You didn't last night."

"I'm fine." I shrugged. I really was. I didn't feel tired at all. It will probably hit me later, though. Daryl sat down in the seat in front of me.

"How's yer lip?"

"Fine." I said without looking up. "It probably needed stitches but it'll just have to heal on its own."

We were quiet for a little after that. I was trying to write a story. I haven't done that in a really long time. I can still be a writer even though the world ended. Everyone still wants to hear stories. Well…maybe not everyone.

I heard Daryl clear his throat. "Hey, Abby…" He said.

"Yes?" I asked without looking up.

"Hey." He said more forcefully. I guess maybe he wants me to look at him. I finished the sentence I was on then looked up at him with a weird look. "I just wanted to tell ya that…you ain't self-centered…or weak or helpless…or slow and I'm sorry I said that. And I was wrong. You don't have to rely on anyone else. You handle yerself."

I stared at him. _What is this? He's seriously apologizing to me?_ I was not expecting that at all. I thought he was still mad at me and didn't want to be friends? That for real came out of nowhere. I was caught off guard and felt stupid because I didn't know what to say really. "Um…" I looked down and tapped my notebook with my pen trying to think of what to say. "We both…said some really shitty things to each other. Mostly because we were mad…probably?" I raised an eyebrow and looked up at him.

He nodded. "Well…I wanted to tell ya that. And I'm sorry I…hit ya."

I was surprised yet relieved. I nodded. "Thanks. And…me too…for what I said." I didn't even want to bring up any of what I said yesterday. It was horrible, especially when I called him a dog. I inwardly cringed. "Uh…no one ever…did that to me…before." I said referring to the spanking. My parents didn't believe in that kind of discipline.

There was a brief pause. "I…saw those scars on your back." I said seriously. I closed my notebook and pushed it aside. "Your dad do that to you?"

Daryl put his head down and rubbed his hands together. He looked kind of uncomfortable. "Yeah." He said quietly. _Was he embarrassed? He shouldn't be._

"Well…if no one has said it to you before, I am really sorry." I said seriously and looked directly at him. He looked back up at me. "I'm really sorry." I looked into his eyes this time. "That's a thing that shouldn't happen to anyone, and I know it does but…and I'm not trying to sound corny but you can't change what happened to you…in the past…but you can have a say in your future." He was just staring at me. I couldn't read his expression, but I think he was actually listening to me. "You're angry. I know why. But all that anger you have inside…it's not doing you any good…and you have to let it go. Or it's just going to be worse for you." I stopped. He was still looking at me. I could tell he was uncomfortable, but he needs to hear all of this. He looked like an adolescent boy with his hands in his pockets not wanting to look at you in the eye. "And I know you feel guilty about what happened back there but you don't have to. It wasn't your fault."

He was also looking upset after I said that. I had to keep it going. I made myself feel better by crying so maybe he will too. "Don't." He shook his head. "I stopped lookin'." He said, he sounded a little angry again and stood up. "That's on me. I coulda done somethin'." He was getting choked up and looked like he was about to cry. He turned away from me.

"Daryl," I gave him a serious look even though he couldn't see, "it wasn't your fault." I got up from where I was sitting and hugged him from behind. I'm surprised he let me and didn't try to shove me off. Finally, I heard him crying. I just hugged him tightly while he cried. He made this whimpering sound that made me feel really bad, so I started rubbing his back with one hand and kept the other around him.

I hope this changes things a little.

* * *

It just got dark out and I was looking out the window into the backyard. It's amazing how dark it gets now, you know, with no street lamps and stuff.

"Hey," Daryl said, "you said ya wanted to look at the stars the other night so, let's go look at 'em."

I gave him a surprised look and looked back out the window then back at him. I remembered how that one line caused that whole argument. "No, uh, we don't have to." I shook my head. He gave me a weird look. "I mean…uh, we should probably stay inside."

"It'll be okay." He said quietly. "I want to. I like lookin' at the stars, too."

I gave him a quick smile. "Okay." I shrugged. We walked out onto the back porch and sat down. "I hope we see a shooting star." I said after some time. "This one time…wait, never mind." I stopped myself.

"Ya cain't start to say somethin', and just stop." Daryl repeated my words from earlier.

"Well…okay." I started again. "So, this one time, at my friend's house, we were in her yard. I was waiting to get picked up, and I looked up at the stars. You could see them really good that night. So, I said to my friend that I never saw a shooting star before, and literally right after I said that…I saw a shooting star."

"Ha." Daryl said. "Ya must be good luck."

"No." I let out a little laugh. "My friends always told me that whenever I say something, it happens. So, they would tell me not to say anything."

He just snorted. There was a brief pause.

"I never thanked you for bringing back those meds." I said. "You saved me."

"It's what we do." He said playing with his knife. I smiled, and looked back up at the stars.

"Why don't ya tell another story?" Daryl suggested.

"Why do I always have to tell the stories?" I complained. "You tell one."

"I don't got any."

"Bullshit." I laughed. "You can't tell me that you don't even have one story to tell."

"Not good ones."

"They don't have to be good." I admitted. "Just memorable. In fact, it's a lot easier to remember the bad times over the good."

"You're tellin' me?" Daryl said. "I ONLY remember bad times."

I looked at him seriously. "Come on." I urged him. "There has to be something nice you remember? Just tell me anything."

He stabbed the pole with his knife, and cleared his throat. "Alright," he started, "when I was little…I always wanted a kite." He snorted. "So, Merle got one for me. Probably stole it." He kind of laughed. "Well, I couldn't ever get it to fly. I tried every single day, and I couldn't ever get that…damn thang to fly. Merle always said he would help me, but…he never did. He was always off somewhere. So, I got sick 'a waitin' around one day, and I told myself that this time I'm gettin' it to work. So, I waited for a nice strong wind to blow, and then I let it go and it went up. It started flyin'. I got real happy, and started runnin' with it. Eventually though…damn thang got stuck in a tree."

There was brief silence, and then…I busted out laughing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I said.

"You laughin' at me?" He asked.

"No! I swear!" I said still laughing. "It was just the way you ended it. Like I was expecting you to say something else, but you didn't."

He started to laugh, too. "I told ya I didn't have any good stories."

"No, it was good." I said truthfully. "I liked it."

"Yeah, it was about the only nice thang Merle ever did fer me."

Things got serious again. "You miss him don't you?" I asked. He didn't reply, just looked down. "Well, I don't mean this in a bad way, but see, you didn't need him then and you don't need him now." He nodded. "You got the kite to fly with out his help, and now, you just have to get it out of the tree, and back up into the sky." I laughed. "See what I did there?"

He gave me a look. "Mhmm."

"Seriously, though." I sat back, and sighed. "I miss Carl. I miss my dad, we were always super close. And I miss my mom." I became a little sad when I thought about her. "You know, my mom and I," I paused, "we used to argue all the time, especially after I started high school. I think it was just because we were too different." I paused. I realized I never told anyone this and stopped because should I really say it? I wonder if Daryl would judge me? "You know, my mom and I had a thing between us. Like we weren't that…close." I made a weird face. "I don't know why, but we just weren't." I swallowed hard. "I mean…I love my mom and I know she loved me, but…I always just thought she was like embarrassed of me or something?" I stopped and took a deep breath. "This is going to sound really bad but…I don't even know if I can say it." I wiped a stray tear.

"Just say it." Daryl said. "It's okay. Might make ya feel better about it."

"I doubt it." I said with raised eyebrows. "You won't think so either once you hear it." I took a deep breath. "Okay, so…I wasn't as…sad…as I should have been when she died. I was more like disturbed. I felt guilty because I was the one that…did that to her. But I also felt honored in an odd way because she wanted her baby to live and I was able to… _deliver_ her, I guess." I shrugged and looked down.

Daryl was quiet for a minute. "I could tell." He finally said. "I knew ya wasn't right after, when we went to that place to get the baby supplies."

I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat. "I just didn't feel…feel like me." I looked back up at him. He nodded. I leaned my head back against the pole. "Another thing is that, my little brother shouldn't have been the one to put her down. He was just a little kid. I shouldn't have let him do that." I felt that guilt all over again and looked down like I was in pain.

"It's okay." Daryl said. "He's a tough kid."

"He is a tough kid." I looked at him with wide-eyes and smiled. Then I realized what he said. "You just said, he _is_ and not he _was._ I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him a sly look. "Does that mean you _do_ still think they're alive?"

He gave me almost an annoyed look and didn't answer right away. "…maybe."

"I knew it." I smiled. We both got quiet for minute. "Do you think _I'm_ tough?" I asked Daryl.

"Yeah." He nodded. "You're tough." The way he said it made me question, though. I was about to say something but he spoke first. "And you're really smart."

I perked up. "Really? You think I'm smart?"

"Yeah. That was some psychologist shit in there."

I smirked. "Well, actually…I didn't think of all that myself. I used to watch a lot of Dr. Phil before the turn." I laughed. Daryl just stared at me for a moment then he kind of laughed out of nowhere and shook his head, which made me laugh. We were quiet again for a minute.

"Sometimes, I wish I was a boy." I randomly admitted.

Daryl let out an almost laugh. "Why?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "It's hard to explain. Guys just think about things differently. I grew up tomboy so I was always around guys, and things were so much less complicated. I mean…we did some _really_ dumb things, but it was…freeing." Daryl didn't say anything. "Let's take you for instance," I started, "back at the prison, you could be like, 'hey, I'm goin' on a run,' and everyone's like, 'alright, be careful,' and that's that. But if I did that, ha, my dad would never let me."

"He just worries about ya." Daryl stated.

"Yeah, I know, but he worries about everyone, and still let's them go." I looked down, and back up at him. "I wanna be more like you."

"…I'm just used to this, things bein' ugly, growin' up in a place like this." Daryl said.

"Well…at least you got away from all of that."

"I didn't." He said.

"But you did."

"Maybe you'll have to keep on remindin' me sometimes." Daryl said.

"No." I sighed. " _That_ you have to do on your own, just like the kite." I made a gesture with my hand like it was flying.

He just stared at me, then sighed. "And…they weren't worried about me cuz…it don't matter what happens to me. Who cares?" He said nonchalantly.

"I care." I gave him an annoyed look. "And so did everyone else. You're not worthless, Daryl. Everyone liked you."

He stared at me. "Why you so nice to me?" He put his head back.

"Cuz I like you." I half smiled. "You're different." I remembered saying that to him a while back. "I wanted to be friends with you since…we first met."

He gave me a kind of sideways smile back. "We should go inside." He suggested.

"Mmm…no…we should burn it down. I always wanted to burn a house down." I laughed. "We should. We should burn it down." I was half joking.

He just looked a me for a moment, then got up and walked towards the door. _Aw, man. Now he thinks I'm stupid._ I looked down. "We're gonna need to find a lot of booze." He said, and went inside.

I smiled real big, and ran inside.

* * *

We splashed and poured the alcohol we found all over the house. Then, we went and stood in the yard.

"Ya want to?" Daryl asked handing me the matches.

"Fuck yeah!" I lit the stack of dollar bills, Daryl must have taken from the cash register from the store, he threw it onto the porch.

We watched the house light up. _Bye bye._ I thought. Now I can cross that off my bucket list.

We continued to watch the house burn until the walkers showed up, then we took off down the street.

I had a feeling that things were going to get better. Yeah, I missed my dad and everyone, but I have Daryl now and we can start anew.


	4. Oblige

Very early the next morning, Daryl and I were walking through the woods, and I noticed something kind of strange.

"Do you smell that?" I asked him.

"Yeah." He replied. "Don't breathe through your nose."

We continued walking. Daryl stopped and shined his flashlight on a bush. He seemed a little concerned.

"What is it?" I asked.

He shook his head. "That ain't walker blood."

We shared a look, but then moved on.

* * *

The smell got worse as we were moving. Then, I saw something very alarming. There was a dead woman on the ground, she must have already been put down. Normally, that wouldn't be that peculiar, however, the weird thing was that she didn't have any clothes on.

"Damn." I muttered. I felt a little embarrassed for some reason, though.

"Let's just keep going." Daryl said. He probably felt the same way as me.

I took a few steps and saw an arm and then a leg once I got closer. That's when I noticed a pile of dead bodies behind a big tree! All women, all naked!

"Oh. My. God." I said. Daryl didn't say anything, just made a sound. "What's going on?" I sort of panicked. "What happened to them?"

"I-I don't know. Just come on." Daryl put his hands on both of my shoulders and kind of pushed me. He seemed eager to get out of the woods…or he seemed eager to get _me_ out of the woods.

"Daryl?"

"It's okay."

We finally reached the road. Daryl rushed me the entire way.

"Sorry." He said. "I needed to get you out of there. Remember, we're not alone out here."

"Do you think whoever did that is still alive?" I asked with clear concern in my voice.

"Have to be. Couldn't have happened more than a couple of hours ago."

My eyes widened a bit.

"Don't worry." Daryl reassured me. "Nothing's gonna happen to ya."

* * *

We walked through a little neighborhood. We made a quick sweep of the houses, we didn't find much, then we continued on our way.

"See, those houses on top of the hill?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah?"

"That's where we need to go."

"How are we going to get up there?"

Daryl stared at me for a moment. "We climb." He started in that direction.

"But it's so steep."

He snorted. I followed him.

* * *

We crossed a highway then train tracks. _Why are there train tracks everywhere? It's like we can't escape them._ We stopped when we got to a river.

"Now what?"

"You can swim, right?"

I huffed. "You're kidding."

He smirked at me. "We'll find a way around it somehow, if not…I'm throwin' you in there."

I let out a small laugh. "I don't want to get wet, and besides…rivers have those holes that you can get sucked into."

Daryl snorted again.

"They do!"

"Well, then you better be quick."

"Daryl." I rolled my eyes.

* * *

We continued walking along the shore. I was playing with a stick I found. I kept tapping it on the ground. I looked up when I saw something white up ahead.

"Hey, look!" I yelled. "Is that a boat?"

"Where?"

"Straight ahead." I pointed.

"Yup. That's what it looks like."

I giggled then ran to it. I tried lifting it up, but it was too heavy. Daryl was there in a second and helped me move it. We pushed it into the water some.

"All right." Daryl cleared his throat. "Get in."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you." He gave me a stupid look. "I'm gonna push you out into the water then I'm gonna get in."

"But what if you can't?"

"I will." He raised his eyebrows. I sat in the boat.

"Wait, we don't have a paddle." I stated.

Daryl sighed and began pushing the boat into the river. "I'm gonna paddle you."

I smiled and felt my face heated up, I nervously bit my lip. He hopped in. We floated in the water, but the boat was moving very slowly and it wasn't taking us in the direction we wanted to go.

"What are we gonna do now?" I asked hopeless. Daryl sighed again and gave me a look. I giggled. I knew I was annoying him and it was too funny. "I know!" I yelled. I grabbed the middle seat in the boat and tried to pull the piece of wood off. It didn't budge. I tried it at another angle. I looked up at Daryl and he had his hand over his face. Then, I sort of got under the piece of wood and tried pushing it up with my back.

"All right. Enough." Daryl said. "Before ya hurt yerself."

I huffed. Then, I gave the piece of wood a good kick. My mouth gaped open, that hurt more than I thought it would. I tried not to show it though. "Ow?"

"Yer one big problem, ya know that?" Daryl said to me.

I gave him a look. "Okay, Mr. Tough Guy," I mocked him, "why don't you give it a try then instead of just sitting there staring at me?"

He got up and grabbed the piece of wood and wiggled it a few times. "I think ya actually loosened it." He said. Daryl pulled hard on it and eventually it broke off. He looked at me.

"Yeah, man." I said with raised eyebrows. "See that?" Daryl began paddling the boat across the river.

* * *

I hopped out when we reached the shore. "Well, that was a fun ride." I said.

"Says the one who wasn't paddling."

"That's _your_ fault. I would have." I smiled. I turned and started off into the woods. I saw a walker to the left of me, and killed it. "Are you sure about this?" I asked when I looked up at the hill. It looked even steeper than before.

Daryl sighed. "Yup."

* * *

I was leading the way. I guess Daryl stayed behind me in case I fell or something? I stopped to take a rest. I looked back, we were about halfway there.

"I hate this." I said out of breath. All jokes aside.

"We're almost there."

I took a deep breath. "No, we're not."

We climbed higher. We weren't very far from the top. The rocks at my feet were loose so I quickly reached up and grabbed the first branch I saw. It just so happens that, the branch was more of a twig, but it was too late, it snapped, I gasped and I starting sliding down. Daryl caught me by placing his hand on my back. I paused and looked back.

"It's okay." He said. "I got you."

I breathed heavily. "I hurt my knee."

"Don't worry. I won't let ya fall." Daryl reassured me. "Keep goin'."

I sighed. I looked around for a branch to grab onto to, I reached up when I found one. I felt Daryl's hand move from my back to my butt. _Whoa!_ My eyes widened a bit. He pushed me up a little.

I climbed the rest of the way to the top. I stood up and grimaced.

"Ow, my knee." I said quietly.

"Can you walk?" Daryl asked me.

"I think so." I started walking. I had somewhat of a limp, but I figured I would be alright for a while.

* * *

We walked on a dirt trail. I briefly wondered where the houses were that we saw down on the road, but I didn't say anything. The pain in my knee was getting worse, but I didn't want to complain about it.

Just then, we heard a moan from somewhere. I stopped and pulled out my knife. "Do you see it?"

"Nah." Daryl said. He started in the direction of where the sound was coming from. We found it shortly. It was just one, it was tied to a tree. "We're good." Daryl said. He raised his crossbow.

"Wait." I said before he shot it. "Can I try?" I asked reaching for his crossbow.

He hesitated but eventually gave it to me. He briefly instructed me on how to hold it and everything. I aimed at the walker.

"Abby, get a little closer. Yer not gonna get it from this far away, you've never used that before—"

I pulled the trigger and nailed the walker right in the forehead. I excitedly looked at Daryl. He had a surprised look on his face. "Did you see that?" I was thrilled.

"Yeah." Daryl said. "Yeah."

* * *

We continued on our way. Daryl was ahead of me, and my knee was hurting pretty bad now. I don't think I can go on much longer. "Daryl." I called. He stopped and spun around. "Can we hold up for a few minutes?"

"Ya alright?"

"My knee is killin' me. I think I just…need to sit down for a while."

Daryl paused for a minute and looked around. "Wanna get on my back?"

"What?" My head shot up.

"Come on, I'll carry you."

"…uh, no, that's okay…I changed my mind. I can walk for now." I got up and started walking forward. I think I heard Daryl let out a little laugh.

* * *

Not far down the road, I felt an awful pain in my knee, and went straight down. I hissed.

"All right. That's it." Daryl said. He moved his crossbow from his back to his front, then helped me up. "Get on my back, now."

"No. It's hot enough out here. You don't need my extra weight. I can—"

"You get on my back or I will throw you over my shoulder." He sounded serious. I sighed and gave in. Daryl bent over a little. "Jump up." I grabbed onto his shoulder and launched myself onto his back. He stood up straight and readjusted me. Then, we continued on our way.

* * *

Being carried on Daryl's back was a little awkward at first, but I was thankful for it. It beats walking on a hurt knee.

We headed towards a big house that was in a cemetery. I heard Daryl breathing heavily. I felt kind of bad for him, so…I decided to mess with him.

"Wow, listen to you huffing and puffing." I said. "You really need to quit smoking. You're gonna blow that house down."

He laughed. "I'm gonna drop you as soon as we get up there."

I laughed. "You think there's people inside?"

"If there is, I'll handle 'em."

"Hey, I'm not completely worthless."

"I never said you were."

I was quiet for a moment. " _We'll_ handle them…if we need to."

Daryl sighed.

"There still ARE good people, you know?"

"I don't think the good ones survive."

"…we did."

* * *

We were inside the funeral home. We checked it out and everything seemed safe. It was clear.

"This place is so like…clean." I said.

"Yeah. Someone's been tendin' to it."

We went down to the basement. There was a dead body on a slab. It looked like someone had "taken care" of it. Daryl opened a cupboard, and pulled out some gauze or something. "Let's get that knee wrapped." I just stared at the body. "Look's like someone ran out of dolls to dress up." Daryl said. I thought about what he just said and laughed. He chuckled as well. "Come on." He guided me over to the counter. I hopped up there. Daryl started to wrap my knee.

"I can do it myself, you know."

He raised his eyebrows. "Just let me." I cringed when he touched my knee. "Sorry." Daryl said. He finished wrapping it. "How's it feel?"

"I've had worse." I shrugged.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Daryl smirked.

I sat up and cleared my throat. "I was in a bad car accident when I was thirteen, I almost died. Also, when I was fifteen, I broke my ankle while skateboarding. It was like completely bent. Probably the worst pain I've ever experienced." I bragged.

"Wow." Was all Daryl said. He looked taken aback. He helped me get down.

"Yay. More climbing." I said sarcastically while walking over to the stairs.

"Right?" Daryl said. Then, I felt myself being lifted.

"Whoa!" I yelled. I wrapped my arms around Daryl's neck for support. He quickly carried me up the stairs.

* * *

Daryl was setting up cans outside so we would hear someone if they were outside. I found a piano in one of the rooms, and sat down. I skimmed through the sheet music. I started playing just for the hell of it.

I heard Daryl clear his throat from behind me. I stopped playing and turned around.

"Place is nailed up tight." Daryl said. "The only way in is through the front door." I nodded. "I didn't know you could play piano?" Daryl said.

"Yeah." I smiled. "I can play just about any instrument you put in my hands…sorry, I don't mean to brag."

Daryl let out a little laugh. "Can ya sang, too?"

"Yes, actually…but I'm not going to." I got a little awkward after that and hoped that he didn't ask me to because it's been a long time since I sang. Daryl stood there awkwardly then hopped into the coffin that was on display.

"Ew." I said.

"This is the comfiest bed I've had in years."

"Yeah, right?"

"I ain't kiddin'." He kind of laughed. I laughed again, then put my head down. "Hey, why don't you, uh…tell me a story or somethin'?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, make me laugh."

"That's kinda hard to do."

"Shut up."

I laughed. "To be honest, I don't know if I have one."

He smirked. "If it wasn't already the end of the world, it would be now." I laughed. "…so, you said that you was…in a car accident?" I nodded. "How'd it happen?"

I thought for a minute then sighed. I don't talk about that much. I sat up and cleared my throat. "I was at my cousin, Franky's, graduation party. He just got a jeep and I wanted to go for a ride because I wanted to see what it was like to ride in a car with no doors. So, we're riding around and stuff, and all of a sudden he starts acting weird, like he would speed up then slam on the brakes. He did that a bunch of times. I was wondering why he was doing it. Well, I looked down and saw a bunch of beer cans on the floor, and at that moment, this is what I seriously thought: I was like, 'this is either going to be a funny story to tell my friends, or I'm going to regret ever getting into this car.' Unfortunately, it wasn't the first one." I paused. Daryl didn't say anything, just looked down. "I don't remember exactly how it happened, but we started spinning out of control, and…I flew out of the car and landed on my head. The left side, the smart side. That's why I'm so stupid." I laughed.

"Hey, you ain't stupid."

I ignored his words. I am stupid and I know it. "Well, anyway, I died on the way to the hospital, but they brought me back." I nervously laughed. I paused for a moment and thought about the aftermath. I said my thoughts out loud. "Everything was so messed up after that. School was so hard for me. And I was an honor student! I felt like a dumbass. I hated it, I wanted to just quit so bad. I started staying home a lot, I missed school for the dumbest reasons. Things got pretty bad after that." I looked up at Daryl. I couldn't read his expression. "…but, I'm not gonna get into all that right now." I laughed nervously again, and put my head down.

"Hey." Daryl said making me look up at him. "I'm glad yer…okay." I smiled at him. "But don't call yerself stupid again."

I smiled. "Alright. Enough of this…weird, nice stuff…I'm hungry." I said seriously.

* * *

"Check it out." I said. I opened a cupboard in the kitchen revealing a bunch of food behind it.

"Peanut butter and jelly, diet soda, and pigs feet." Daryl said. "White trash brunch right there." I laughed grabbing a jar of peanut butter. "Hold up." Daryl said. "There ain't a spec 'a dust on this."

"And?"

"That means someone just put it here. This is someone's stash."

 _Oh yeah!_ I thought for a minute. "You think they're still alive?"

"I don't know." Daryl said. "All right, we'll take some and leave the rest."

"See, there are still some good people left."

Then, Daryl stuck his finger in a jar of jelly and started eating.

"Well, I know what I'm _not_ eating." I said.

"Hey, those pigs feet are mine."

I raised my eyebrows. "Go right ahead and be my guest. Those look foul as hell."

"Ya ever have 'em?"

I snorted. "No way, my mom would take one look at that and ban it from ever setting foot in the house. Haha foot." I pointed at the pigs feet. "I didn't do that intentionally."

Daryl smirked. "Yer funny. Ya know, that?"

"That's what everyone tells me." I started opening the jar of peanut butter. Daryl opened the jar of pig's feet and took one out and bit it. "Ew!" I yelled. "I thought they had to be cooked?" He laughed and was about to say something, but there was a noise outside. "What the hell?" I said.

Daryl grabbed his crossbow, I started to follow him but he said, "stay." I stopped dead in my tracks right after he said that. I actually listened to him. I felt like I had to.

I listened carefully. I heard the door open. "It's just a damn cat!" Daryl called.

 _What? A kitty!_ I practically ran there. I saw Daryl closing the door. "You didn't scare it away, did you?"

"I told you to stay back." He scolded.

I actually felt a little nervous. "You said there was a kitty!" I pouted.

Daryl sighed. "Maybe he'll come back. Come on, let's go eat." I didn't hide my disappointment. I love cats.

* * *

Later on, we were eating and making small talk. It was dark and we had candles lit to light up the room. "I miss pizza." I said out of nowhere. "And french toast."

Daryl snorted. "Weird mixture."

"I didn't mean together." I gave him a stupid look. "Oh and tacos." I grinned.

"Tacos were pretty damn good."

"Yeah, man." I smirked. "One of my favorites." I ate a spoonful of peanut butter.

"What is yer favorite?" Daryl said after some time.

I was surprised that he asked. "Um," I swallowed the food in my mouth and licked the peanut butter off my lips, "pasta or anything with noodles like soup or lasagna." I took a sip of my soda. "Brisket is really good, too, though." I laughed.

Daryl let out a little laugh. I noticed that he didn't have a glass for his drink. I felt an urge to get him one. I got up and opened the cupboard where I got mine. "What are ya lookin' fer, sweetheart?" He asked me.

I smiled to myself, it made me feel good inside that he called me sweetheart. "I was just getting you a glass." I grabbed one and headed back over.

"I don't need no glass." Daryl said. He picked the whole two liter up and started drinking out of it. I looked at him funny and then made a gesture like I was going to push his bottle up and spill it all over him. He immediately pulled away and put the bottle down. "I'd kill ya." He said. I laughed.

Just then, we heard another noise outside. "That cat gets one more chance." Daryl said biting off a piece of one of the pigs feet to give to our new pet. It made me smile. "Ya stay here, okay? I mean it this time." He looked at me sternly.

Again, something made me oblige. I didn't want to make it obvious, though, so I put my hands up. "Okay." I smiled. I watched him leave the room. I think I figured out why I have been listening to Daryl. I don't really let anyone tell me what to do, but lately, I have with him. And I think it's because he…spanked me? I don't know how to feel about it. I mean…I'm not saying that it would have worked with my parents, I just think because it was Daryl. No one has ever done that to me before. "Ha." I raised my eyebrows and put a spoonful of peanut butter in my mouth. Maybe I like him…

Suddenly, I heard the door slam and Daryl calling me and almost choked on the peanut butter. I grabbed his crossbow and hurried to the door. Daryl was holding the door closed. There were several walkers outside! I threw him the crossbow, and he told me to run. "Crawl out a window, and get out outside!"

"I won't leave you!" I yelled.

"Go down the road, I'll meet you there!" He ordered. I didn't want to, but I did what he said. I ran outside and bumped into a walker. It grabbed me and it was pretty tall, so there was a bit of a struggle but eventually I killed it. I bent down to pick up my bag, when it felt like someone hit me in the head, hard. Everything went black.


	5. Fastest Way Down

When I opened my eyes, I swore I was dreaming. I was in a hospital room! But how? My head hurt something awful. I felt a bandage where the pain was. Where did that come from?

I looked around frantically. How did I get here? Where's Daryl?

I hopped out of bed and looked out the window. It was light outside. Above me was a clock. It's still early.

I heard footsteps outside my room that were coming closer.

 _Oh fuck! Oh shit!_

I quickly looked for something I could use as a weapon. Both my gun and knife were missing. Along with my clothes. I was in a hospital gown.

I picked up the tray that was on the bed side table just in time as the door opened. Two guys dressed as cops and a doctor were there. "Who are you?" I yelled. "Where the fuck am I?"

"Put it down!" They yelled with their guns up.

I guess I must have hit my head really hard because I took a step closer.

"You don't want to do this." The doctor said calmly. "Just put it down."

I sighed and threw the tray behind me.

Suddenly, both cops were coming at me, and trying to pin me down. "What the fuck? Get off me!" I screamed.

"You better settle down, little girl." One of them said. "There's a lot of bad that can happen to you."

"Enough you two!"

I looked up and saw a female cop standing in the doorway.

"Get out both of you." She said. They gave me a dirty look then left the room. What the hell is going on? "I'm Dawn." The lady said. "Can you tell me your name?"

I thought for a minute. What could it hurt? And I need answers. "Abby." I replied.

She sighed. "Abby, you were in an accident and hit your head, my officers brought you in late the other night—"

"Like shit I was!" I spat. "Your officers knocked me out, and kidnapped me!"

She looked taken aback. "If they wouldn't have brought you here, you would have died." She stated. "They put their lives on the line to save you. So, you owe us."

 _Is she delusional?_ I was about to say something, but decided otherwise.

"Here take these." The doctor finally spoke. He handed me two Tylenol, then went to check my head. I backed away at first but then I just let him. "Looks to be all right." He said. Then, he handed me a pair of scrubs. "Put these on. Come out when you're ready." He said. "I'm Dr. Steve Edwards, by the way." With that, they both left.

 _What the hell is this place?_

* * *

I walked down the hall, and saw a black kid around my age mopping the floor. He was also in scrubs. He looked up when he saw me. "Hey, you're the new girl?" He said. I didn't know what to say. "Sorry, my names' Noah."

"Abby." Was all I said. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but for some reason it was like I couldn't form words.

"Have you met Dawn yet?"

I nodded.

"She's not exactly a charmer, but…she's better than some of the other authorities here."

I shook my head. "Cool." I replied. _What is wrong with you? Speak!_

"So, I could, uh…show you around if you'd like?" He asked. I looked passed him as I heard screaming somewhere. It sounded like a woman. I was lost in thought for a moment. That's when I finally found my voice. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Look, you seem nice, but I need to get the hell out of here!" I said to Noah. "I'm not supposed to be here!"

He gave me a sad look. "Neither am I." He went back to his mopping. I looked around and walked down the hall, I heard machines beeping and stopped by a doorway. That doctor from earlier was in there, he noticed me.

"Ah, Abby. Just the person I wanted to see."

I gave him a weird look.

"I need your help. Come on in." He beckoned me. I hesitated then walked in. "Couple of them out there were on a run about a week ago." Dr. Edwards said. "They found two boxes of Bisquick and a Merle Haggard tape at a truck stop, and then this gentleman under a bridge."

I stared at the man laying on the bed before me. "What happened to him?"

"Well, I'm not sure but right now he's in Cardiac arrest and has extreme dehydration." He switched off the machines and everything stopped. "I tried to do what I could."

"Wait, that's it?" I said angrily. "He was still alive."

"If patients don't show any signs of improvement…well, Dawn calls it." He stabbed the man in the head so he wouldn't turn. _This place is messed up. He claimed he tried but I feel like he could have done more._ He began wheeling the man out of the room. "Follow me."

We walked down a long hallway until we got to an elevator, which was a dead end. "Here we go." Dr. Edwards stopped right by it.

"Wait, you're not really going to throw him down there, are you?"

He just stared me.

"I mean…can't we bury him at least?"

"No, we only go out when we need to." He said. "It may not be the most dignified disposal system, but we work with what we have. We've managed to secure and guard the stairwells, but the windows are blown out on the ground floor. Rotters find their way into the basement when they hear a noise. And if the bodies are warm or warm enough, they clean up some of the mess. Use everything you can use.

Plus it's the fastest way down." He dumped the body down the elevator shaft. I heard it hit the bottom then walkers snarling. I kind of grimaced and stepped back.

Dr. Edwards stepped back and sighed while looking at me. "You're probably hungry. Why don't you go down to the cafeteria for some lunch?"

My stomach seemed to growl on cue when he mentioned food. I didn't even know when the last time I ate was. I just nodded.

* * *

As I was putting food on my tray one of those cops started talking to me. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone, though. "You're looking better and better." He said. When I didn't say anything he continued. "We had a lead on some guns, so me and my partner were pretty far out. That's when we saw you, wriggling in the road." _What?_ "You don't remember me, huh?"

"I remember you from this morning." I said smartly.

"That's not what I meant." He laughed.

I hesitated. "…I killed a walker…then everything went black. I remember the pain I felt in my head before, though. You hit me right? Knocked me out." I nodded.

He just stared at me and smiled evilly. "If that's what you think." _That's what I know!_ "I'm Gorman. When someone does you a favor, it's a courtesy to show some appreciation." I glared at him and went back to getting my food. "Unless you want me to write down everything you're taking." I stopped and looked back up at him giving him a questioning look. "Everything costs something, right?"

I gave him a smile that was meant as sarcasm and left.

* * *

"We'll find Joan." I heard Dawn say as I walked passed her office. Noah was in there with her. "Until then, you've got laundry duty and I want my uniform washed separately and pressed." They said the last part together.

"I know." Noah said.

"Smart-ass." Dawn replied.

I suddenly heard music playing and followed it. It was coming from Dr. Edward's room. "Abby." He greeted when he saw me. "Come, sit." I really didn't want to but he was the only one I kind of liked so far. I sat down in front of him. "I used to feel like I was drowning in research." He said. "Now the oceans are dry and I'm suffocating in boredom."

"How could you be bored when there's so much to do?" I let out a small laugh.

He smirked. "That's Junior Kimbrough." He said referring to the song playing. "Do you like it?"

I shrugged. "Guess it's better than silence. Still it's not really my style."

He laughed. "It's one of the few perks I get for being the only doctor here."

"That and whatever this is?" I put my tray of food in front of me.

"Guinea pig." He replied. "Where's your food?"

"The more I take, the more I owe, right?" I said sarcastically. I was about to leave but he stopped me.

"Hey. Have you ever tried guinea pig?"

I shook my head.

"I didn't think so. You wouldn't call it a perk. Sit down. Dawn doesn't have to know. Come on." He handed me a small piece and I tried it. It tasted like nothing.

"Well?"

"It's not horrible. But I'd only eat it if I was starving."

"It's good enough for Peru." He laughed.

* * *

Later on, I was sort of roaming the halls when Dr. Edwards called me. "Abby! Gonna need your help!" He caught me kind of off guard so I just stood there. "Quickly!" He shouted. I ran and followed him into a hospital room. Two of the male cops plus Dawn had wheeled a man in. He looked pretty bad.

"We got a new one." One of them said. "Found his wallet. His name is Gavin Trevitt."

"Fell from a first floor apartment trying to get away from some." Dawn said.

The doctor quickly looked him over. "He's lost a lot of blood and his vitals are dropping. I don't think he's gonna make it."

"You said you wanted to save people, so save him." Dawn snapped.

"I don't even know the extent of his injuries." Dr. Edwards explained. "Look, this one's a loser. You said you didn't want me wasting resources."

"Well, today I want you to try." Dawn said.

Dr. Edwards hesitated then turned to me. "Okay, plug the EKG and the ultrasound into that battery pack. Go." He said. I struggled a bit because I have never messed with this kind of stuff before, but I tried as quickly as I could. "Good. Good, good, good." He said. "Now attach it to the patient." I did. I heard the monitor beeping. After a moment, it started beeping rapidly. "Tension pneumothorax." The doctor said. "Punctured lung."

"Abby, I need a large hollow needle in that cabinet."

I went for it but Dawn beat me to it and handed it to the doctor. He stabbed the man in the chest and blood started coming out the top. The beeping slowed down.

"Is he gonna make it?" Dawn asked.

"He fell from a building, Dawn."

"Is he going to make it?" She asked more forcefully this time.

"You see these bruises? He has internal bleeding, but I need a CAT scan to know how bad. And even if I could determine that, I don't have the tools to save him. I told you, this was a waste of resources."

I felt kind of bad for the guy, they're not even going to try? Suddenly, Dawn spun around and slapped me hard in the face. I didn't even see it coming. She was out of the room before I could even react. "What the hell was that?" I yelled.

"Sorry." Edwards apologized. "She likes to take her anger out on others."

I glared at him. "Yeah, I'm guessing a lot of the people here do that."

"Not all of them." He sighed. "Some, yeah."

I calmed down a little. "Is she always like that?"

"Only on her bad days. It's unfortunate for us…that's the only kind she has." He said. I rolled my eyes. "Noah left you a new shirt."

I looked down at my clothes. It wasn't even dirty. "What's wrong with this one?"

"She likes things neat."

"Dawn needs you, now." One of the cops poked his head in the door.

He glanced at me. "Come on."

* * *

"She's lucky we found her." Dawn said referring to the woman they are bringing in. She was trying to get away and they are holding her down. They wheeled her in a room.

"Whatever you were thinking, it wasn't worth it." Gorman told her. "Okay, you have two choices. Either we cut off your arm or you do."

"Screw you and your little bitch!" The woman yelled.

"Smart-ass whore." Gorman yelled. He was about to slap her.

"Gorman, get out of here!" Dawn yelled and shoved him out of the room.

Edwards tried to give her something but she pushed him away. "It's anesthetic. You need it."

"Go to hell." She yelled back.

"She made her choice." Dawn said. "Do it. Do it."

"No, no, no! I said leave me alone!" The woman yelled.

"We're not going to let you die." Dawn said. "We are not going to let you turn."

The woman began crying. I tried to leave the room because I did not want to be part of this or even watch it.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dawn caught me.

"I'm not participating in this." I shook my head. "I can't help you."

"Do you want her to die?" Dawn asked me. She didn't give me time to answer. "Abby, I need you to hold her down. Do it now! Now!"

I sighed. "Shit." I went over and held her legs down. The woman was still sobbing.

"It's okay." Dawn tried to tell her. "It's okay. Come on."

"Keep your hands off me! I'm not going back to him!" She yelled.

"You don't have to."

I had no idea what was going on right now.

"You can't control them!" The woman yelled back.

"I will." Dawn said.

"Abby, you ready?" Dr. Edwards asked me. I sighed then nodded. I was having a hard time holding the woman's legs down as she kicked and screamed, they were cutting her arm off. I had to just stand there and listen to her horrible screaming.

* * *

I was in the laundry room after everything because I needed another change of clothes…really this time. I had blood sprayed all over me.

"You okay?" I looked up and saw Noah.

I sighed. "I don't know."

"Here, this should fit." He handed me a new uniform. I took it then there was a brief pause.

"You know what happened with Joan?" I asked Noah. I found out that was the woman's name, the one they had to cut the arm off of. "If she'd have stayed, worked for a while, couldn't she have just left?"

Noah chuckled. "I haven't seen it work like that yet."

I gave him a weird look. "How long have you been here?"

"I guess about a year." He said sadly. I gasped. "Dad and I were both pretty messed up when they found us. They said that they could only save one. For the longest time, I actually believed them. Now I get it. Dad was bigger, stronger. Would have fought back. Would have been a threat."

"They left him behind on purpose." It was more of a statement than a question.

"And Dawn just looked the other way." Noah confirmed my answer without saying so. "See, she's in charge, but just barely. And it's getting worse. It's why I'm out of here when the time is right. I came looking for my uncle. Gotta get back to my mom."

"Where you from?"

"Richmond, Virginia." He replied. "We had walls. See, they think I'm scrawny. They think I'm weak. But they don't know shit about me. About what I am. About what you are."

I glared. "You don't have to tell me. I don't belong here. I KNOW I'm strong, they made a huge mistake by bringing me here. And they're gonna find out."

* * *

Dawn came into my room a little later carrying a tray of food. "I know you didn't have breakfast. Peace treaty?" She sat the tray down.

"I don't need much." I said without looking at her. "I won't be staying much longer."

"You know, you shouldn't see this as a sentence." She said. "I'm giving you food, clothes, protection. When have those things ever been free?"

"I never asked for your help." I snapped.

"But you needed it. Try to look at the good we're doing. Hard as it was, we saved Joan's life. Trevitt's life. We saved your life. I'm keeping all of us going here. That is not a small thing. It's taken a lot to get us here, Abby. And I believe that what we had before all of this isn't over. And when we're finally rescued, when this nightmare ends, we're gonna need to rebuild."

 _What the hell is she talking about?_ "You don't really think someone's coming for us?" I gave her the dumbest look.

"There's still people like us, Abby. People trying to keep the world alive, to fix it. Until then, we all have to contribute. To compromise. If we take, we give back. It's only fair. So keep working off what you owe and you'll be out of here in no time. If that's what you want."

"It is." I replied immediately.

"Well, then you have to eat. Otherwise, you'll get weak. You won't heal, you'll require more treatment, and you won't be able to do your job. I know you didn't ask for this. I didn't either."

I thought about what she said. I was fuming. "I don't need to eat. I ain't hungry." I glared.

"Well, suit yourself. But you'll see soon enough that I'm right." She left after that. I hate her.

* * *

I was in Joan's room mopping the blood up off the floor. "Hmm." Joan stirred in her sleep.

"I'll get Dr. Edwards." I said.

"No, please. Not yet."

I looked at her injury and sighed. "I'm sorry…I didn't want to."

"She can control them." Joan said. "But she doesn't because it's easier. Because she's a coward."

"What did he do to you?" I was referring to Gorman.

"It doesn't matter. I guess it's easy to make a deal with the devil when you're not the one paying the price."

I looked down sadly. Then, I became angry. I hate this place and these people so much. How do they think that they can just keep people here? I'm gonna get out…


	6. Everything Costs Something, Right?

Back in my room, it was so quiet all I could hear was the clock ticking. I opened the closet where my old clothes were, the ones I had on before they brought me here, and dug around in my pocket for my iPod. I couldn't find it and started to panic. That's all I have left of the normal world! There's so many pictures and videos on it of my friends and family before this!

I started checking around the room.

"Lose something?" I heard a voice say. Gorman was standing in the doorway. He had my iPod! "This is yours, ain't it?"

"Give it back." I snapped. "Now!"

"Whoa. Hold on there." He walked closer to me. "You ain't gonna get anything by talking to me like that. How about asking nicely?"

I glared at him then "tried" to change my expression. "May I have my iPod back?"

"Say please." He teased and touched my face.

I pulled away and sighed. "Please."

He laughed. "One more time."

I gritted my teeth. I really wanted to just kill him right now. "Please."

He laughed and took a step closer to me. He held out my iPod for me to take then snatched it away once I reached for it. I shot him a glare.

"Just kidding." He laughed and handed it to me again. I grabbed it quickly before he could try anything again. "Well, gee, I'm just playing around. You look like the kind of girl who likes that. Am I, right?" When I didn't answer he put his hand on my waist.

I punched him square in the nose. "Don't fucking touch me!"

"Why you little—

"Leave her alone." Dr. Edwards came into the room and stopped Gorman.

"The girl should have been mine." Gorman snapped.

"Nobody's yours, Gorman. Nobody. And if you think you're getting Joan back—

"Oh, I'm gonna get her back. You think Dawn's gonna stop me?

"I will."

"You stepping up, Doc?"

"What happens when you get sick, Gorman? When you get an infection? When you get bit? Hmm."

"I think there's gonna be somebody." Gorman said. "Somebody who ain't you."

"Gorman." Dawn then walked by.

"And maybe somebody in charge who ain't her." Gorman finished then walked away.

Dr. Edwards and I were alone now. "Why do you stay? You could leave whenever you want. Why do you stay here?" I finally asked him.

He just stared at me. "Come with me."

I perked up a little. _Is he going to help me get out?_

* * *

"Welcome to the ground floor of Grady Memorial Hospital." The doctor said. He took me to the lowest level.

"This isn't a way out." I said.

"There isn't one." He said. "Not from here."

"Why'd you bring me here then?" I snapped.

"Watch." He knocked on the window. In seconds, there were walkers trying to get in. "When I start thinking about it too much, I come down to look at this."

"Why'd you bring me here?" I asked again.

"You asked why I stay."

I stared at him like he was an idiot. _Is he really that afraid to go outside?_

"Come on." He said.

* * *

He took me back upstairs and we went out onto the rooftop. I looked out at the city, it looked terrible.

"When everything started, Dawn reported to a guy named Hanson. They had orders to clear the hospital and move everyone to Butler Park. It was close to midnight when we heard the jets, the bombs. The screams. I was on the third floor. Dawn and Hanson's teams were doing a final sweep. And we knew it was bad. Just didn't know how bad till we came up here. The city had fallen. And everyone we evacuated they were just gone. We kept mostly to ourselves at first. Till the food ran out. We started going out on runs, a few of us at a time. We'd see people who needed help. Barely holding on. But we were barely holding on ourselves. Came a time I couldn't look away anymore. I found this kid. Napalm burns on his clothes, his skin. Dawn said we couldn't spare the resources. So we struck a deal. I'd use what I could to heal him and he'd compensate us for those resources through service." He scoffed. "Now you're not the problem. We lost people. That was the problem. Hanson cracked. He made some calls that got people killed. Dawn took care of things. She took care of him. She saw us past it. Kept us together. Kept us alive."

"You call this living?" I finally spoke.

"We're still breathing. Patients we brought here, they're still breathing. Outside these walls, alone, unprotected, they'd be dead. We'd be dead. We're not the ones who make it. As bad as it gets, it's still better than down there."

 _Yeah, right? I need to get away from this guy before I slap the shit out of him._ "I should get back." I said.

"How about you look in on Mr. Trevitt and call it a day?"

I agreed.

"He's stable, due for another 75mg of Clozapine." He informed me. "And tomorrow we'll start fresh."

"Sure." I said apathetically.

* * *

 _Clozapine Clozapine Clozapine!_ I said to myself the whole way down to Trevitt's room so I wouldn't forget. I found what I needed and prepared it then injected it into his tube.

"Still at it, huh?" Noah walked into the room and smiled at me.

"Hey." I said.

All of a sudden, the beeping from the monitor started going crazy and Mr. Trevitt began seizing. I gasped. "Oh no." I said out loud. "What do I do?" I looked at Noah. His eyes were wide and he shook his head. I looked back at the patient and he stopped moving and the monitor flatlined. "No."

* * *

Dawn stabbed Mr. Trevitt in the head so he wouldn't turn. "What did you do to him?" I didn't know what to say. "He was fine until the two of you were alone with him. Something happened. I want you to tell me." Dawn looked back and forth at us.

"It was an accident." Noah blurted out. "Abby left to get some gauze. I was mopping. I must have unplugged the ventilator somehow. It only stopped for a minute."

 _What? No! I won't let him take the blame!_ I was about to say something but he cut me off.

"I got it working again."

"Take him to my office." Dawn said to her officers. They grabbed Noah's arm and dragged him away.

"Dawn, it was an accident." Dr. Edwards said but Dawn ignored him and walked away. "It was an accident." He called after her.

"That's not what happened." I said once the doctor and I were alone. "He just like…started having a seizure or something."

"Seizing? Well, you gave him Clonazepam, right?"

 _What?_ "Cloz-Clozapine." I said. "You said Clozapine."

He stared at me for a moment. "No…I didn't."

I gasped inside. _Liar!_ I know I had it right! I said it the whole way down here! I was about to say something but I heard Noah yell. "Please!" He said. I heard noise like he was getting beat up. I tried to run but the doctor stopped me.

"Abby, we need to deal with Mr. Trevitt while he's still warm."

"I have to stop it!" I yelled. _I'm not going to let anyone take the blame for me. It was my problem, not his._

"We can't—you can't stop it." He said.

* * *

I found Noah later in the laundry room. He was all bruised up. "It's not as bad as it looks." He said. "I'm okay."

"Why did you do that? How could you be so stupid?"

"A simple thank you would be nice."

I huffed. "Yeah, well you won't get one from me."

"Dawn needed Trevitt for something." Noah said. "I know that's what that was about. Screwed-up thing is, she's trapped, too."

"We're not trapped." I said. "I'm getting out of here."

"How, though?" Noah said.

"Basement's the fastest way out, right?"

* * *

After we discussed the plan, we went our separate ways. We were to meet at the elevator once our jobs were done.

I went to sneak into Dawn's office to get a key, Noah was in the laundry room gathering as many sheets as he could possibly find, and looking for anything we could use as weapons.

But first…I stopped in my room to get my iPod. Can't leave that behind. I stuck it in my bra. Then, I made my way into Dawn's office. As I was looking around in drawers, I found Joan laying on the floor, dead. I gasped. _Who did that to her?_ I stepped over her body and opened the drawer, the key was inside. _Yes!_ I grabbed it. I also found a pair of scissors and tucked them in the back of my pants.

"What's going on in here?" Gorman walked in.

 _Fuck! Well, at least I know what happened to Joan._ "Dawn was just asking for her key."

"See, I was just with Dawn and I don't seem to remember that." He put his arm in front of me to stop me. I glared at him. "Tell ya what…let's make a deal. I won't tell Dawn if…" He walked over to me and started putting his hands on me. "You're the kinda girl that likes to play around, right?" _I could throw up right now._ "What do you say? Think we can work something out?"

I looked around me and came up with a plan. I smiled and nodded.

"That'a girl." He put his hand under my shirt and started kissing my neck. I looked away, something caught my eye. Joan had turned and she was coming back. I knew he was distracted so I quickly pulled the scissors out and stabbed him in the neck.

He grimaced and fell to the floor. Walker Joan began gnawing away at him.

I grabbed his gun and took off.

I passed Dawn and another cop as I was walking down the hall. "You okay, Abby?" She asked me.

"Uh…yeah." I said. "Oh. By the way, Joan was looking for you. I saw her and Gorman headed towards your office."

There was a brief pause.

"Thank you, Abby." Dawn finally said and they walked away.

I hurried down the hall after that. Noah was there waiting for me. I unlocked the door and we ran to the elevator. He had the sheets already tied. He helped tie it around me then tied it to a pole that was nearby.

Suddenly, we hard screaming and gunshots and knew Dawn had found the mess I left in her office. "Quickly Quicky!" I said.

"Okay, ready?"

I nodded.

After lowering me down the elevator shaft with the sheets tied together, Noah started to make his way down. About halfway down, the sheets ripped and he fell on the ground in front of me. "My ankle!" He yelled.

 _Shit! Why now?_ "Can you walk on it? I said.

He got up. "I think so."

We made our way out through the basement. I killed the few walkers that were still alive down there.

We opened the door to outside, and took off. We ran towards the fence, which was the only exit. There were some walkers around, I tried to run passed as many as I could without killing them so I could save the bullets but there were more of them coming. We had to be quick and squeeze passed them.

Noah went in front of me after I struggled to kill a walker.

I turned around, and saw some of the cops coming.

"Hurry!" I yelled.

I looked around and saw more walkers coming plus the cops. I knew that we both couldn't get out of here and well, Noah was in front of me. I couldn't let that happen, I HAD to get out of here.

Suddenly, it was like this whole thing was in slow motion. I ran in front of Noah, he was struggling with his ankle. "Sorry." I said to him. He just stared at me like he didn't understand. I raised my gun and without thinking, shot him in the leg. He screamed and fell to the ground. I ran without looking back. I was able to squeeze through the fence. I heard Noah screaming as the walkers tore him apart.

I kept running until I was far enough away. I stopped to catch my breath. Eventually, I sat on the ground, I felt numb…just nothing at all. I can't believe what I just did.

* * *

I walked around for a long time. I searched every building that was ahead of me, to try and find supplies. I wasn't having any luck. I was able to find a change of clothes, though. I was happy to get out of those stupid scrubs.

I ran up a street and I saw something in the road on fire. There were walkers around it.

"What is that?" I whispered to myself. That had to have been a person. That means there's people nearby. That had to have just happened because the fire is still burning. Maybe they're in that building? That's where _I_ would go. A thought occurred to me, even though people are dangerous, I need _someone_ at least. You can't make it alone these days.

I ran quietly passed the walkers and into a car garage. Once I was inside the building, I checked the rooms, didn't find anything. I was beginning to lose hope. Maybe I can camp here for the night at least?

Suddenly, I heard footsteps and hid behind a wall. I heard someone fighting a walker down the hall. A voice said something then another voice said something back. _So there's two people. Shit. I don't know if I can handle both of them._ I couldn't make out what they were saying it just sounded like mumbling.

I just tried to listen to them talking, but a walker came from around the corner and scared me. I was not expecting that at all. I yelped and struggled to kill it. I could hear the footsteps coming closer. The people must have heard me! "Oh, shit!" I had other things to worry about right now, though, like killing this walker. I was having a real hard time. Then as if by a miracle, I saw an arrow go through it's head! _No way!_ The walker went limp and fell on top of me. I still couldn't see anyone because the walker was blocking my view.

It was quickly hauled off me and I was staring at none other than Daryl Dixon. I gasped. He saw me and had the same expression. And Carol was there, too! I hadn't seen her before the prison attack because I remember my dad sent her away. I wondered how they found each other?

Things were quiet for a minute. Then I jumped up. "Daryl!" We hugged each other.

"Abby, I cain't believe it." He smiled.

We finally pulled apart. "How—How'd you guys get here?"

"We was lookin' fer you." Daryl stated. "I saw that car, the one that drove away with you it, and we followed it."

My smiled faded. "…after, um…you told me to run down the road and wait for you…someone hit me over the head and knocked me out. Took me to a hospital."

He sighed and nodded. Then, it was as if he had a thought, "well, look, yer dad and the others are back at a church not too far from here."

"What? My dad? Everyone?"

"Everyone." Daryl nodded.

I could not believe it. "Oh my God!" I put my hands on my head in disbelief and smiled. I could almost cry. "Well what are we still doing here? Let's go!"

The three of us laughed then we found a truck and headed on our way back to this church they told me about.

They caught me up on a little bit of what went on after Daryl and I got separated. Sounds like they had it pretty rough.

"Oh, we forgot to mention…we got some new friends, too." Carol informed me.

"New friends?" I laughed then stopped because I thought of Noah and began to feel guilty. I looked down at the floor. _Maybe I didn't have to kill him._

Daryl and Carol were talking but I wasn't really listening.

"You okay, Abby?" Daryl asked me.

I hesitated. "…yeah. Well…I will be." I tried to reassure them.

But I didn't know if it was the truth. I didn't know if I really was or if I will be? This feeling I have right now…I don't know if I can ever be the same again…


	7. White Cross

Daryl parked the truck on a road and said we should walk the rest of the way to the church. It was late, dark. We walked through the woods. Daryl and Carol said stuff occasionally but I stayed quiet. I was feeling kind of out of it. We finally made our way out of the woods and stood in front of a church. "The hell?" Daryl said. "The short bus is gone?" He and Carol shared a look. Then, they began walking again. I started to feel anxious and stayed where I was staring at the church. _My dad and everyone is in there._ I thought. Daryl looked back at me, just then, and walked a little towards me. "Ya okay?" He asked. I didn't answer, sort of just put my head down and sighed. "What's a matter?"

I took a minute to answer him. "I just…feel nervous all of a sudden." I looked up at him.

His expression seemed to soften. "It'll be alright." He put his hand on my back and kind of guided me forward. "Come on." The three of us walked up to the church. Daryl went up to the stairs to the door and whistled so my dad would know it was him. Carol was close behind. I stayed back on the ground sort of off to the side. I don't know what I was so worried about?

My dad and some of the others like Michonne and Sasha answered the door. My dad didn't see me down here but he looked relieved when he saw Daryl and Carol. "You're back." He said and almost smiled.

"Yeah, sorry." Daryl said. "We followed a car into the city. But, uh…" He stood aside a little. "Look what I found." I took that as my cue and stepped into view, looking at my dad nervously.

His expression changed to shock and then he looked happy. "Abby?" He said it like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Hi, daddy." I smiled. Suddenly, he ran to me and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back and buried my face in him. I realized then how much I missed his hug. He sounded like he was crying. I let out a nervous laugh. "It's okay."

"Oh, my baby." He kissed my forehead a few times then continued to hug me. I looked up and saw everyone smiling at us. It made me feel a little awkward so I pulled apart. My dad looked at me and smiled. "I'm so glad you're okay."

I smiled back. "Yeah." Was all I said.

"Abby!" I heard another voice. I looked over and saw my little brother, who didn't look so little anymore, coming towards me. I smiled and hugged him.

"Damn, you got tall." I said to him once we let go of each other. He laughed. A few other people came over to hug me and greet me as well. I looked up and around and once again, everyone was looking at me. It was weird, it was almost like I was the odd one out. And it was uncomfortable.

I think Daryl could tell and he came to my rescue. "Alright. Give it a rest, guys. She just got back."

"Wait a minute." Carol stopped everyone. "Where's the rest of us?"

I looked around. _Oh yeah? Where's Glenn and Maggie? And Beth? And didn't Daryl and Carol say there were new people? Where are they?_ I hope they are all okay. My dad's expression seemed to harden. "Let's go inside and talk."

* * *

My dad just informed us that Glenn and Maggie and the new people headed off to Washington D.C. early this morning. Apparently the one guy with them is a scientist and he claims he knows how to stop the disease. I didn't know what to think right then. _Could he really stop it? Imagine the world going back to the way it was…_

"I wish they would'a waited til we got back." Daryl said roughly.

"I know but…we can leave tomorrow and join them." My dad said. "That was the plan."

"He really knows how to stop this whole thing?" I asked no one in particular.

My dad and Daryl both glanced at me. "I don't know, baby." They said in unison, expect Daryl didn't say "baby", he just said, "I don't know." They shared a look after that. I noticed a man that I didn't recognize, he was dressed as a priest. Everybody talked for a little after that. I wasn't really listening. Some of the others went about their business. I saw Carl feeding Judith.

I walked a little closer to my dad. "Wait," I started quietly, "you said Glenn and Maggie. Where's Beth?" I looked at my dad innocently.

My dad, Daryl, Carol and Michonne seemed to share looks. My dad looked back at me and shook his head. "She didn't make it." He said. "Sasha said she saw her go down, back at the prison."

I looked down sadly. "Oh." I said. Beth and I were the same age and had gotten pretty close over the time we spent together.

"Hey." My dad said making me look back up. He sort of bent over a little so we were eye to eye. "I know she was your friend and I'm sorry. We got a lot smaller but…we're all still together."

I nodded. "It's okay." I said after some time. "I know what happens." I was upset about Beth but oddly enough, I didn't feel sad.

There was a brief pause after that. "We should all turn in." My dad said. "We got traveling to do tomorrow."

"What do we do about transportation?" Sasha asked my dad.

He sighed. " _That_ we can worry about in the morning." I felt my dad's eyes on me but I was staring at Sasha. She didn't seem alright. Daryl told me about Tyreese back at the prison and then my dad told us about Bob getting bit. She must be going through some shit with all that. "right now," my dad continued, "I wanna spend some time with my little girl." He suddenly hugged me, catching me off guard and almost scaring me, and lifted me off the ground then walked away with me.

I giggled. "Dad." I complained.

* * *

"Did they hurt you?" My dad asked me. We were sitting away from everyone else. He was asking me about my time at that hospital.

"Um…not really." I shook my head. He was looking at me funny so I decided to explain. "There's like these…cops…there and they take people they think are weak and make them work for them." I looked down. "I knew I'd get out, though." Just then, an image of Noah flashed through my mind. I cringed. I think my dad sort of noticed because he asked me if I was sure I was okay. I just nodded and faked a smile. He didn't looked convinced but eventually just nodded. He ran a hand through my hair and then put his arm around me. I leaned into him and we sat there like that for a while.

We were both quiet for a few minutes. "So, you were with Daryl after the prison?" My dad broke the silence. I just nodded. "How were things with him. Okay?"

I looked up and gave him a questioning look. _Why would he ask me something like that? Did Daryl tell him about us arguing?_ "Everything was fine." I shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure he wasn't mean to my baby." My dad kind of laughed. I stared at him. He knows something.

"Why—why would he be mean to me?" I asked seriously.

He gave me kind of a funny look. "Abby, I'm just jokin'." He tightened his hold on me.

"Oh." I shrugged. "Okay." I decided to just let it go. Still think it's weird, though. "What about you guys?" I swallowed. "How were things for you?"

He paused for minute. "Bad." He finally admitted. "But as I said before, we're still all together."

"Yeah." I nodded. "I'm glad everyone's okay— I stopped myself. "Well…almost everyone." I sighed. My dad nodded. "So what do we do now?"

"Well, right now…you should just rest." My dad told me. "You look tired."

I really was tired. I can't remember the last time I got some good sleep. I don't know if I'll be able to, though, despite how exhausted I am. "No, that's okay. I'm fine actually." I shrugged.

"You should at least try to get some sleep."

I was about to say something but I was cut off. "Yer goin' to bed." I heard Daryl's voice behind me. I turned to look at him. "Ya look like yer about to pass out." I just looked at him. "Come on. Get some sleep now." He pointed.

"O…kay." I said without question. I laid down on the floor and tried to get comfortable. It was hard but it's my best bet, I don't think the pews would be very comfortable. There isn't a lot of room on them.

As I was laying there, I heard my dad and Daryl talking. They were discussing D.C. and what we would do tomorrow. They got quiet for a few minutes and I heard my dad say, "thanks for keepin' her safe." He was talking about me. My face got hot and probably turned red. _Dad? Why would he say that? I'm not twelve!_

"She kept herself safe." Daryl then said. "She didn't need me." There was a brief pause. "Although, she _is_ a little smartass." He raised his voice when he said it. "I know you ain't sleepin'." I felt a rolled up piece of paper hit me. I grabbed it and sat up smiling at them. I threw the paper back at Daryl. My dad smiled back and forth at us.

* * *

I sat up abruptly. I must have fallen asleep, I don't remember it, but I must have. I took in my surroundings the best I could in the darkness. Realizing my dad was sleeping on the floor a little ways away from me calmed me down a little…but then I remembered why I was awakened like I was. A bad pain in my stomach woke me up. It was probably hunger pain, it's been a while since I ate. I sat there and grimaced with my hand on my stomach making a low groaning sound.

Just then, I made out a figure in the darkness and realized Daryl was sitting there, looking at me. I instantly regretted drawing attention to myself and felt a little embarrassed. "Ya alright?" He finally asked me.

I swallowed hard, my throat was dry. "Yeah…I'm just…" I trailed off. I should have just stopped at "yeah." Now he's looking at me waiting for an answer. I have to tell him something. "…really hungry." I finished. "I haven't eaten since…" I just looked at him hoping he would get it and I wouldn't have to say it. I heard him sort of mumble something.

"Holy shit, Abigail." He said roughly. "I mean…Jesus." He sounded angry. "That night you was taken was really the last time ya ate? That was…five days ago!" I could feel his glare even though it was dark. It wasn't completely true, I had a tiny bite of that guinea pig back at the hospital. I didn't reply to him though. "Why didn't ya say anythang?" He scolded.

I shrugged. "I didn't know if we had any food. And…I kinda forgot."

"Ya forgot, huh?" He said roughly. "Come on." He gestured for me to follow him. "Let's get ya somethin' to eat." He took me up to the altar of the church where there was a lantern and I noticed some left over canned goods. He started opening one for me.

"Uh, you didn't have to." I said quietly shaking my head. "I could have just…got it myself." He just looked at me and continued to open the can then poured the contents into a bowl once it was open. I watched him put a spoon in the bowl and then handed it to me.

He sighed. "Here ya go."

"Thanks." I didn't look up, I just started eating slowly. I didn't want to get sick.

"They didn't let ya eat?" Daryl asked referring to those hospital people.

I thought about what he asked me and finished chewing before I answered. "They did but…they had this thing where you owe what you take. So…I thought if I didn't take anything then I wouldn't owe them and I could get out of there quicker." I took a small sip of water. "They're probably looking for me, you know?" I looked up at Daryl.

"Yeah, well, they ain't gonna find ya."

"What if they did, though? What if they came here?"

He looked down at me for a moment. "Then, we'll handle 'em."

I gave him a stupid look. "They have people and guns, too. And half of us are missing."

"Hey." He said a little louder and lifted my chin. "Don't you worry about that. You ain't goin' back there, okay." He paused and we just looked at each other. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and began walking away. "Finish eatin' and then get back to sleep, sis."

My eyes widened and I dropped my spoon in my bowl making a "cling" noise. It felt like I was punched in the stomach right then. " _Sis?" That's how he sees me? I'm his little sister?_ I was practically screaming inside. I felt sickened and couldn't eat the rest of my food. "Damnit." I whispered to myself.

* * *

The next day, we were sitting around waiting for Daryl to get back from the truck. He said he should check it before we all pile in to leave for D.C. I was holding my baby sister trying to get her to go to sleep.

Just then, the door opened and Daryl walked in and he didn't look too happy. All eyes were on him, he noticed and stopped. "No good." He finally said. "Tank's tapped."

My shoulders slumped and I sighed. _What the hell are we supposed to do now? I mean…we're stuck here until we find a vehicle._ I wish that they never would have left without us anyway. What was the reasoning behind that again?

"Better start looking for another vehicle." My dad said.

"Or we could just start traveling on foot." Sasha suggested. I cringed inside. I don't really want to walk all that way.

"Yeah, we could but let's try to find a vehicle first." My dad said again. "We'll go in groups. We—

My dad was cut off my a loud truck outside. Everyone rushed to the window. There was a firetruck out there. I saw Glenn get out. Everyone seemed to relax. "It's them." My dad said. "Somethin' happened. Otherwise, they wouldn't have come back." We all made our way outside to see them. "What's goin' on?" My dad was the first to say.

Glenn hesitated. "…Eugene lied." He finally said. "He can't stop it." My shoulders kind of slumped. _Well, that answers my question from before._

"Abby?" Maggie said.

"Yeah." I smiled. They looked happy to see me. Glenn and Maggie both hugged me.

"So D.C. is out?" I heard a voice say, I wasn't sure who.

"If we're not going to Washington, what are we doing then?" Michonne said. Then, we were all in a group discussion.

"We gotta plan fer this." Daryl said. "We're low on supplies so we should find some more before we do anythang." My dad nodded in agreement with Daryl and looked like he was about to say something but someone else spoke first.

"I say we keep headin' north." A red-headed man said. "We know how far is cleared."

"South might be better." Sasha said. "Stay close to the coast. We find a place high up that's near water. Walkers won't be around as much." I saw Sasha and the red haired guy look at each other.

"I'm with her." One of the girls I didn't recognize said.

"I'm with Abraham." The other said. "It's safer."

"Either way," my dad started, "we need supplies first." That ended the group discussion. The others were headed back inside the church.

"So, Abby…" Maggie said and called me over. The two girls I didn't know were standing with her. "This is Tara, Rosita and the red-headed guy is Abraham. Eugene is passed out inside the truck."

"Oh." I kind of laughed. I looked at them and smiled. "Hi."

"Hey." Tara said with a smile. She seemed friendly.

"Hi." Rosita said. She didn't.

I wasn't sure what to say next. _Since when have I become awkward around people?_ I shook that thought. "So…are you guys like related or something?" I asked just to be saying something. Tara kind of laughed but Rosita gave me a stupid look.

"No." Tara answered. "I met Glenn while headed to Terminus and then we met these guys."

"Oh." I said and nodded. "Good." I had no idea what else to say.

"Well, we should probably go see about that run." Maggie said.

"Yeah." We all agreed then headed back to the church. I was thankful.

* * *

With everyone back together, we discussed our next move, which was going to look for more supplies. Everyone was being split into groups. Glenn, Maggie and Tara said they would go into town and looked around at small shops looking for weapons and such. My dad, Sasha, Abraham and Rosita said they would look for food and then Daryl and Carol said they would look for water. Michonne was supposed to stay here with Carl and Judith. Gabriel(the priest) was useless so no one mentioned him. However, I kept looking to and from everyone waiting for someone to include me but they never did. People started walking away and going about their business.

"Dad?" I called him when he was by himself. "What about me?"

"You stay here with Carl and Judith." He said to my annoyance.

"You know I can handle myself out there. I wanna help."

"I know but it's still dangerous and I'd rather know you're safe here." He said seriously. I gave him an annoyed look. "Please, Abby."

"Fine." I crossed my arms over my chest and started walking away. "Still think it's stupid." I heard my dad sigh.

I watched everyone leave then took my sister from Michonne so I could feed her. I looked around angrily and shook my head. _Stuck being the baby sitter…again._

* * *

I sat alone waiting for the others to get back, which isn't good because when I'm alone, it gives me time to think…and when I think, I think about bad stuff. I replayed the memory of me shooting Noah over and over again in my head. His face whenever I told him "I'm sorry." A chill went up my spine. I'll never forget that look…or when he was getting torn apart. I sighed heavily. _Is he going to haunt me forever?_ "Shit." I looked down. I fucked up.

"Abby?" I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped. I turned to see Carl, he looked taken aback. I calmed down when I realized it was just him. "You okay?" He finally asked me.

I sighed and felt annoyed. "Just great." He looked like he was about to say something else but was cut off by a noise outside. He, Michonne and I ran to the window. We saw a walker from a distance, two of them actually.

"It's just two." Michonne said.

"Should we get them?" Carl asked her.

She sighed. "They're gonna draw more, so, yeah."

I had a thought. "Carl and I will do it." I said quickly.

"Abby." Michonne gave me a look.

"We'll be fine, won't we Carl?" I looked to my brother.

"Uh…yeah sure." He said. I could tell he wanted to also.

"…your dad wants you guys to stay here."

I rolled my eyes. "It's two walkers, Michonne." I said clearly annoyed. "I could handle…at least eight myself. We'll be fine."

She looked reluctant. "…fine." She finally caved. "But hurry back."

"Uh, Michonne?" The priest peeked his head out of his office. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Be right there." She called then looked at me. "I mean it. Right back."

"Okay." I nodded. I turned to Carl. "Let's go."

We made our way over to the walkers. I got there first and killed the closet one with my knife, Carl ran ahead and killed the other. I looked down at the now dead walkers on the ground. _That was quick and easy._ I thought. "Hey, Abby?" Carl said. "How come you wanted to come out here so bad?"

I gave him a surprised look. "I thought you'd want to, too?"

"Well…I do but…you just seemed anxious to like get out."

I thought about his question. Why did I want to come out here so bad? Just to help out? "I don't know, kid." I told him. I really didn't.

"Freeze!" I heard someone yell. I immediately spun around with my gun up, Carl mimicked my movements. There were two guys…dressed as cops. "Drop it!" The same guy said. I was pissed as all hell. _How did they find me?_ I don't think I could glare any harder at them. I still had my gun up.

"Abby, just put it down." Carl whispered to me. He had already dropped his on the ground. I knew I would have to at some point because there was no way I was winning this right now. I was just extremely pissed. I finally dropped my gun to the ground.

"And the knives." The other cop said. We both threw our knives down. "Good." They made their way over to us and picked up our weapons then grabbed us. I suddenly got an idea.

"Wait." I said. "I, uh…dropped my earring." I put my hand over my earlobe.

"Who cares? Quit bein' stupid." The one cop said.

"Just give me a minute. Please! They're important to me." I gave him a false pleading look. He waited and I got down on the ground and pretended to look for my "earring." What I actually did was write ' _white cross'_ in the dirt with my finger. Someone will see it and they will know where to find us.

"Hurry up!" One of the cops yelled.

"Found it!" I pretended to put my earring in then stood up. The cops then grabbed us and took us over to their car. We were shoved in the back seat.

"What the hell was that?" Carl whispered to me.

"You'll find out."

One of the cops spoke into their walkie, "we found her. And another one, a kid." He looked to the other. "Let's go." They began driving. _I cannot believe this is happening again._ I thought extremely annoyed. I glared at the backs of their heads.

Just then, I realized that my brother looked a little scared. My expression softened. "Don't worry." I said out loud not caring if the cops heard. "We'll get out of this. I did once, I can do it again." I looked right at them.

* * *

 **Hey guys! You're probably confused because I had this story as complete, but I decided to continue it because I didn't like the way I ended it. I also changed a few things starting with the second chapter up to the sixth one. So, if you want to go back and check that out, that'd be good :) Thanks! Hope you enjoy!**


	8. Sour

Dawn slammed me hard against the wall twice. I grimaced from the pain, I got the wind knocked out of me a little bit. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She screamed in my face. I was completely unfazed though.

"Where is my brother?" I yelled back. She slapped me hard across my face.

"You killed my ward!" She yelled and let go of me. "Why would you do that?" She lowered her tone. "And you escaped." She hissed.

"Where is my brother?" I said again ignoring everything she said to me. "I have a right to know!"

"He's being taken care of." She said blankly. I gritted my teeth at her in anger. _Why can't she just tell me? And what does that mean? If they do anything to Carl, I swear I'll…_

"You should rest up for now." Dawn said to me and started to leave the room. She stopped and looked back. "Glad to have you back. I knew you would be."

All the anger inside me erupted. "GO TO HELL!" I yelled. I quickly took my boot off and threw it at the door. It looked like she smirked before she walked away. I was so mad that I started kicking and punching the wall.

Eventually, I dropped to the floor and cried. I wasn't scared or sad, I was just extremely angry and frustrated.

* * *

I was allowed out of solitary confinement once I calmed down. While walking down the hall, I ran into my brother. "Carl!" I called.

"Abby!" He yelled back. We ran to each other and hugged briefly. We pulled apart and I studied him.

"Did they hurt you?" I asked wide-eyed.

"No." He shook his head. "But it looks like they did to you."

I relaxed a little when I saw that he was okay. "I've had worse."

"Carl. Abby." Dawn said walking down the hall towards us. "Both of you in my office now."

I glanced at my brother, he looked nervous. "It's okay." I reassured him. "They aren't going to do anything." I put my arm around him. With that, we followed Dawn into her office.

* * *

"You listen to everything I tell you and don't take handouts from these people." I told Carl. We were sitting on the floor of Dawn's office waiting for her to come back. "And don't make friends either."

"Why?" He questioned.

I exhaled sharply before answering. "We won't be here for very long." He gave me a nervous look. "It's okay. Just…do what I say." I nodded.

Just then, the door opened and Dawn walked inside with another cop. "It's time for you two to learn your new jobs." She stated. I was scowling at her. "Abby." She turned her attention to me. "You will no longer be assisting Dr. Edwards. Instead you will be O'Donell's, here, new ward." She pointed at the other officer in the room.

"Hey, there." He gave me a smug smile. I glared at him. I was a little confused. I thought for sure she was going to make me her new ward since I killed Noah.

"And as for Carl," Dawn paused and looked at me, "he will be my new ward."

My head shot up. "What?" I snapped. "Why him? I'm the one that killed Noah. He didn't do anything!" I was getting angrier and angrier.

"I know. And that's your punishment for killing my ward." She said. I looked at her with fire in my eyes. _I know exactly what she's doing! She knows that she can't hurt me, but she also knows that she_ can _by harming my brother._ I was fuming. I just wanted to stab her repeatedly in her annoying face! "And your other punishment for escaping," she continued, "is that you will not be permitted to see or talk to your brother for as long as you live here."

My eyes widened. "You can't do that." I started shaking my head. I heard Carl make a weird noise and quickly glanced at him, he looked desperate. _I can't protect him if I'm not there._ I looked back at Dawn. "You can't do that." I stood up and pounded my fists on her desk.

She was just staring at me. "O'Donell, take Abby to her new room and get her settled." He started making his way to me.

"No!" I yelled.

"Come here!" He grabbed me and pulled me towards the door.

"Abby!" Carl yelled and tried to run to me but Dawn held him back.

"Carl!" I reached for him. The other cop lifted me and began taking me down the hall. "No! Let me go!" I screamed. "Carl! Carl! No!" I fought as hard as I could but that guy was just stronger than me. I could hear Carl yelling for me as well. I kicked, bucked and screamed just like a little kid having a temper tantrum. "Carl!"

"Shut up!" He threw me in a room. I looked up at him and spit so he slapped me hard in the face. It hurt bad but I didn't let him see. I looked back up at him and he slapped the other side of my face.

* * *

I sat on the floor of my new room. I refused to change into the scrubs they left for me. All I could think about was Carl. They better not do anything to him. And what the hell are my dad and the others doing? They should be here by now. I know how smart my dad is and so is Daryl. I guarantee he found the words I wrote in the dirt. So what was taking them so long? As much as I hate to admit it, we can't get out this time on our own.

"What are you really mad about?" I heard Dawn say. I saw her standing in the doorway, I didn't even know she was there. "You don't want to be here." She said when I didn't reply. "I get that." She walked more into the room. "But the real thing is that…you're not a tough as you look." I glared at her. "You just pretend to be." She stood there staring at me while I glared at her. "Admit it…you feel bad about what you did to Noah." She was pushing me. I looked down at the mention of his name, his face flashed through my mind. I immediately shook that thought. "You do, don't you?"

"Shut up!" I yelled at her. "You don't know anything about me so stop pretending like you do!"

She let out a laugh. "Oh, I know all about you." She nodded. "You're the kind of person who gets others hurt or killed because you're not smart."

My eyes widened for a second and I just looked at her for a moment. "Shut up." I looked back down angrily.

"And you act out." She continued. "This is where you belong. You need to be kept in line."

I exhaled sharply because I was getting very mad. "Shut your mouth." I said slowly.

"And you have no self control." She gave me a serious look.

"Shut the fuck UP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I immediately regretted that, I let her get the best of me. Proving her point.

She smirked and shook her head. "See what I'm talking about…you can't even have a normal conversation without flipping out. It's like you're a child." She said lightly. I still looked at her angrily but calmed down a little. I decided not to say anything else to her. "We can fix that though." Dawn continued. "We can help you. As I said, this is where you belong."

Just then, we heard some gunshots outside. My eyes widened and I looked towards the window even though we were on one of the top floors. Dawn quickly spoke into her walkie. "Shepherd?" She said. She didn't get a response. Suddenly, there were gunshots everywhere and a loud commotion down the hall. "What the hell?" Dawn said and ran out of the room. I ran out too. _It's gotta be my dad and the others._ I perked up. "Stay back!" She said to me.

"Are you kidding?" I let out a laugh. "You know what this is." She gave me a dirty look and ran down another hall. I went down the opposite. I have to find my brother and a weapon so I can help.

I passed a nurses cart and grabbed a little knife from it, then hurried down the hall. "Hey!" Someone yelled. I assumed they were talking to me and slowly turned around with the knife behind my back. It was O'Donell.

"What's going on?" I pretended to be afraid.

"We're being attacked." He said. "Just follow me." I nodded and once he turned around, I stabbed him in the back of the neck with the little knife a bunch of times. He grimaced and tried to spin around, but I quickly kicked him hard in the back of his leg. He fell to the ground on his front so I jumped on his back so he couldn't shoot me and fought him for this gun. I got it eventually and shot him in the back, twice. I ran down the hall with my gun up. The gunshots were getting closer.

"Carl!" I yelled. "Carl, where are you?" I ran down more halls. "Come on, kid, where are you?"

"Abby?" I heard. I spun around and he was there.

"Carl." We ran to each other and hugged. "Are you hurt?" He shook his head. "Come on, time to get the fuck outta here." We turned and ran down the hall. I made sure my brother was behind me because I had the only gun.

I noticed while I was running around that most of the gunfire died down. We passed several dead bodies in the hallways. A lot of them were people in scrubs, so they were innocent. _Don't think about that._ I told myself. "Come on." I said to my brother.

Suddenly, we heard voices. "Stay here." I said to Carl. I walked slowly around the corner and saw Dawn, her back was to me. My dad was there too! They were pointing guns at each other.

"You don't have the right." Dawn said. "You don't have the right!" She yelled at my dad. I quickly ran out and shot her in the head without even thinking. I watched her go down and walked closer to make sure she was completely dead. Then, I looked up at my dad. He looked a little shocked.

"Carl." I called. He came out and ran to my dad once he saw him. The three of us hugged.

"Are you guys okay?" He asked us with full dad concern. We both just nodded. I heard doors open and saw Daryl walk into the hallway, we locked eyes.

"We good down here?" Daryl asked my dad.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"We got everyone back here." Daryl said. Carl began walking in his direction. My dad kept me there for a minute and looked at me.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I said nonchalantly. He still stared at me. I didn't like it so I walked passed him. Daryl put his hand on my back as I walked by.

"You good?"

"Yup." I said and continued walking without a second thought.

* * *

Everybody was gathered in a little lounge room. Tara got shot during the ambush and Rosita was tending to her wound. My dad said we should just chill here for a while until everyone is recovered and we decided on our next move. I got bored during and started making a puzzle that I found on a shelf in there. I was keeping it together, not like some of the others. Daryl sat down in front of me. "Want some help?"

I gave him an almost surprised look. I didn't think he would be interested in making a puzzle. Maybe he was just trying to be nice. "Sure, if you want to." I shrugged and pushed the outline I had built already closer to him. "Mmm." I looked at the one puzzle piece trying to figure out where it goes.

"Looks like right there." Daryl pointed. I leaned up, I had to reposition myself so I could reach and was now on my knees in the chair.

"Oh yeah." I said. "It fits." Daryl was picking up more pieces and trying to fit them in somewhere.

I noticed some scribbled writing on the box and picked it up. "What's this?" I said. "Don't think that…" I trailed off. It was hard to read their writing. "That all the…pieces…are there." My shoulders slumped. "Don't think that all the pieces are there." My mouth gaped open. "Are you serious? I spent so much time on this."

Daryl chuckled and we continued to build the puzzle anyway. "Speakin' 'a writin'," Daryl started, "you wrote 'white cross' in the dirt, right?" _Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that!_ I just nodded. "That was good thankin'." He said. "And smart of you." I looked down a little embarrassed because compliments make me uncomfortable.

"You okay?" I heard my dad say. I turned my head and realized he was talking to my brother, he looked a little…bothered?

"Yeah, it's just…" Carl started but then trailed off. "A lot of these people were innocent…and were being kept here. They didn't deserve to die." He said it quietly but I still heard. My dad nodded and said something but I couldn't hear his response.

Something snapped in me just then. "Who cares?" I said. It was like everyone in the room turned their attention to me after that. "They all would have died anyway once they got out of here." I shook my head and looked back down at the puzzle because I didn't want to look at them.

After a minute, it seemed like everyone just went back to their conversations and stuff. I was thankful because it got real awkward in there after my comment. However, when I looked up, Daryl was staring at me. "What?" I said. He shrugged and shook his head. I looked at him for a few seconds then went back to the puzzle. There were only a few pieces left. I quickly put them in, but there was one space left and no more pieces. "Oh my God." I let out a small laugh. "Are you serious? One piece?"

Daryl shook his head with a smirk. "Assholes." He pushed the puzzle together with both hands causing it to come apart.

"Hey!" I said. "I was gonna leave that there."

"Oh, I'm sorry." He said. "I'm sorry, Abby." He smirked. I could tell he really wasn't though.

"Mhm." I said sarcastically then sighed. "Oh well." I put all the pieces back in the box and started to shake it up. You never know if someone else will find it and want to entertain themselves.

"Shhh." My dad said to me cause I was being too loud with the box, I guess.

I gave him a stupid look. "Everyone's dead." I reminded him.

"So, what do we do now?" Glenn said after some time. "Just chill here?"

"For now." Daryl replied.

"I say we start looking for supplies." Michonne suggested. "I bet they have food stored."

I perked up a little. "They have tons of food here." I stood up. "I can bring some up."

My dad looked hesitant. "Mm…no, honey, you don't have to."

"I know where the cafeteria is." I cocked an eyebrow at him. "And I'll be fine." I turned and headed out the door before he could say anything else. Something made me look back and I glanced just in time to see my dad and Daryl share a look. Daryl nodded at my dad then grabbed his crossbow and began following me. I turned back around shaking my head. Although, I was a little excited to be alone with him again. I smiled inside.

* * *

"Don't put anythang in yer bag yet." Daryl said. "Set everythang up on the counter so we can decide what to take."

I gave him a weird look. "We're gonna take it all."

"Nah." Daryl said quickly. "Stuff like this," he held up a bunch of bananas and some tomatoes, "we'll just go bad before we eat it."

"Well, then, looks like we better have a feast today." I smiled. Daryl sighed. I giggled and opened a can of soda and took a sip.

"So…you okay?" Daryl asked me.

I gave him a quick glance. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I just mean…when you was here. And ya killed that woman."

"So?" I shrugged. I quickly changed the subject before he said anything else. "Coke is so much better than Pepsi." I added. He seemed to let it go.

"Sure is." Daryl stole my drink and took a huge gulp. My mouth gaped open.

"Excuse me," I started, "there was a whole box over there." I pointed.

"Yeah? So go get another."

I huffed. "Jerk." I went over to grab another soda when I spotted a can of whip cream. I got extremely excited. "Hey, watch this trick." I said to Daryl. He looked at me. I squirted some whip cream into a perfect little ball on the top of my hand then smacked my wrist real hard causing the small cream ball to fly in the air then caught it in my mouth. I smiled up at Daryl as I ate it.

He raised his eyebrows and gave a small smile. "Impressive." He said. I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. I looked right at him and squirted more into my mouth. He grabbed the can off of me and did the same. I reached for it back but he pulled away and ate some more.

"Hey!" I complained and tried to grab it again. He held it up over my head with a smirk. I gave him a look and crossed my arms over my chest. "That's not even funny."

"Sorry." He held it out for me to take. I reached for it but he pulled it away again and ate some more.

"I hate you." I pouted dramatically as a joke. He laughed.

"Here." He put it up to my face like he was going to squirt it for me and put his other hand on the back of my neck. _Oh okay._ I like that. I almost started panting. I smiled then opened my mouth. He pressed it and squirted some in my mouth then all on my face. I backed up immediately with wide-eyes and looked at him. He laughed.

"Daryl!"

"Yer too easy. Ya fall fer anythang." He teased.

I wiped the whip cream from my face and then gave him a sly look. "Okay." I nodded. "I see how it is. It's time for some payback." _I was so going to get him back for that._

"Alright." Daryl said with raised eyebrows like he didn't believe me. He drank the rest of his soda down, crushed the can and threw it then burped really loud.

"Ew." I said then laughed. I glanced around at a shelf with drinks. I grabbed a pack that was on the top and apparently there was a loose one, it fell out and hit me in the mouth. "Ow." I backed up quickly.

"Ya alright?" Daryl was right there.

"Yeah." I sucked on my lip and tasted blood. "But I think—I think my stitches opened back up."

"Lemme see." He put his hand under my chin and lifted. I felt his thumb wipe away the blood that was forming. My heart skipped a beat. "It looks okay." He nodded still looking at it. "Still, I would have Rosita take a look at it and maybe stitch ya back up." He let me go.

I nodded and went back to what I was doing before that can attacked me. I saw several weird drinks in cartons. I picked one up. "What the hell is coconut water?"

Daryl snorted. "Yer askin' the wrong person, sis."

I froze. _There it is again!_ I had forgotten about that. My good mood was completely gone. Our sweet moment had gone sour just like that. I almost gave him a dirty look. "Well, we wasted enough time here, we should get back." I snapped. Daryl turned and gave me a look. I ignored it and packed the items we were taking in my bag. He did the same.

Once we were done, I headed for the door. "Hey, hold up." Daryl called to me. I kept walking. "Abigail!" Daryl barked. I stopped and turned to face him. "I said wait fer me." He said roughly. I rolled my eyes at him. I could tell by the look he gave me that he didn't like my sudden change in attitude. "What are you, bipolar or somethin'?" I just looked at him.

Suddenly, I heard a growl right next to my head, a walker came around the corner. I turned fast as lightning and stabbed it. I turned to him for a second, he looked shocked, probably because of how fast I killed that walker, then I began walking back to where we left everyone else.

* * *

 **PLEASE REVIEW! :D I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT!**


	9. Wounded And Betrayed

"We're out." Abraham said, "Just like the other one." We had been on the road for about three weeks now. We didn't even know where we were going, we just kept heading north.

"And, so, we walk." My dad said. We all hopped out of the car and began walking down the road. I was annoyed already. I was really starting to hate all this walking. It was disgustingly hot out, we haven't eaten in days or bathed for even longer. And on top of everything else, I have my period. I felt like straight shit. And I was not far from passing out. My time of the month is always really bad. Oh, and, let's not forget about guilt. I was still feeling awful about Noah. I never told anyone…

My dad and Daryl were in the front talking. I couldn't hear everything they were saying but every once in a while, I caught some of what they were talking about. "We're not at our strongest." My dad said. Then, some other stuff that I couldn't hear. Judith whimpered.

"She's hungry." Daryl said referring to her.

"She's fine. She'll be alright. But…" My dad trailed off and glanced back at me. He said something to Daryl in a low voice, I guessed about me because then Daryl turned around and looked at me.

"Hey." He said and started walking back with me. "Ya alright?"

I didn't answer right away. "Why?"

"Just wanna make sure."

I gave him a stupid look. "Why?" I asked again.

Daryl seemed to hesitate. "…cuz yer face is really pale."

"So, my dad sent you to come check on me?" I said with raised eyebrows.

"He's got his reasons. And…I wanted to." Daryl said roughly. I didn't say anything to that. I really didn't feel like doing this right now. I wish so badly that someone would say let's take a break, but I'm not going to be the one to say it. I watched Daryl borrow a water bottle from one of the others and then hand it to me. "Take a drank."

"I'm fine." I declined. We don't have a lot of water.

"Abby."

"I said, I'm fine." I said a little louder and tried to walk ahead but he grabbed ahold of my arm. I kind of huffed.

"You ain't fine." He said roughly. "I don't know why yer actin' like this but ya need to stop. Now take a drank." We were stopped in the road, the others looked at us as they walked by. I looked back at Daryl and he was giving me a scary look. _Whoa!_ Not going to lie, I was a little scared. I quickly grabbed the bottle and took the smallest of sips then handed it back without saying anything. Daryl was still looking at me wrong.

"…sorry." I said quietly then started walking. He was behind me.

* * *

We walked for longer and Eugene passed out. It was only for a few seconds. Abraham called for a break but Eugene swore that he was okay and said we could keep going. So, we moved forward.

We finally wandered into a small neighborhood. It was getting late anyway so my dad said we would stay here for the night. I was thankful.

After checking all the homes to make sure they were clear, we decided to split into three groups since we had fifteen people. Well…if you count Judith.

So, anyway, my dad, Michonne, Carl, Judith and I in one house. Daryl, Carol, Sasha, Glenn and Maggie in another. And then that left Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, Tara and Gabriel in another.

We were all in our assigned homes. My dad, Michonne and Carl were talking and eating some food that we found. I went to go take care of myself in another room and now I was just sitting on the floor in the living room. "Abby, come eat somethin'." My dad said.

"I can't." I sighed.

"Why?"

Just then, an image of Noah screaming while the walkers ripped him apart flashed through my mind. That has been happening more recently. "I just…can't." I got up and went outside for some fresh air. Also, I wanted to be alone.

I stood outside next to a car in the driveway. I was starting to feel really weak and sick. I remember it feeling like all the blood drained from my face. I let out a moan. "You okay, Abby?" I heard a voice belonging to Daryl, he must be keeping watch. I looked up and saw black dots. _Uh oh…_ I leaned on the car for support because I started to feel dizzy. I put my head down…

"Abby." I felt someone lightly slapping my face. "Abby." I groaned and opened my eyes, my vision focused and I was looking up at Daryl. He looked relieved. "Ya okay?" He asked me. I didn't answer him, I looked around, no one else was there. _Good._ I realized my head was in Daryl's lap. I groaned and sat up slowly. "Careful." He helped me.

"I'm fine." I sighed. "Please don't say anything to my dad."

"I ain't makin' no promises." He said roughly. "Are you alright?" I just nodded. "Come on let's get ya inside." He helped me up and we went into my house. My dad and the others looked up when they saw us. "She passed out." Daryl said betraying me. I gave him an annoyed look. _I told him not to say anything!_ "I told ya I wasn't promisin' nothin'." He shook his head at me.

"What? You passed out?" My dad made his way over to me. He looked at me and touched my face.

"I'm fine." I said.

"No, ya ain't." I heard Daryl say. I turned to look at him briefly then back to my dad because he started saying something.

"You passed out because you didn't eat anythang." My dad scolded. "You better get somethin' to eat now."

"She will." Daryl then said. "She'll eat."

I was getting super annoyed and pissed. I was mad at Daryl for telling my dad after I told him not to and I'm mad at my dad for treating me like a child. They said some other stuff but I wasn't really listening, I was too irritated to care. "I'll eat!" I blurted out. "Okay? Just everyone PLEASE leave me the frick alone!" I went over to the table and grabbed some stale pretzels and put two of them in my mouth. I turned to them so they could see. Then, I wandered off to one of the bedrooms and locked myself in. I didn't talk to anyone for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next day, some of the others went out and checked some of the other houses for supplies. I stayed right where I was for most of the morning. I was feeling a lot better that I got some rest, but I just didn't feel like dealing with people yet. I finally let myself out of my room around noon maybe and headed into the kitchen. I poured some dry cereal into a bowl and started eating it. "Abby, that you?" I heard my dad in the other room.

"Yeah." I called with a mouthful of food.

"Come in here, please. Need to talk to you."

I absentmindedly walked in with my head down while eating. I looked up and was met with four faces, all looking at me. It was my dad, Daryl, Carol and Michonne all sitting at the table. Stopping dead in my tracks, I wondered what was going on and what they wanted? Carl wasn't there. I wonder why? I let out a nervous laugh. "What is this? An intervention?" I joked.

"Yeah, it is." My dad said with raised eyebrows.

"Are you serious?" I laughed.

"Sit down." He told me. I just listened. Might be entertaining. I put my bowl on the table then sat down in the chair next to my dad. I glanced at everyone. "Look, I'm just gonna say it," my dad started, "there's somethin' goin' on with you…and we wanna know what?"

I looked at my dad apathetically and bit my lip. _Is this seriously happening right now?_ I didn't even know what to say. I took another bite of my breakfast and looked at my dad while I was chewing. I almost smirked. I bet that looked real funny. But I was also being a bitch and I recognized that. "We're serious, Abby." Michonne scolded me. "We're all worried about you."

"Well, you don't have to be." I said without looking at her. "I don't want you to be."

"Well, we do." Carol then said. "We're family so of course we do." She didn't sound mad like my dad and Michonne. I looked down, I was getting annoyed. I can't believe my dad would do this to me. If he came to me himself, that's one thing, but to get Daryl, Carol and Michonne in on it…this is bullshit. I sucked on my teeth. I had a random thought of pretending to be freaked out and running out the door. That would be hilarious. One or more of them would definitely come running after me.

"Abby?" My dad said quietly. "Are you…taking drugs?"

"Oh my God." I immediately put my head down so no one could see my face because I was seriously about to bust out laughing. _He cannot be serious right now! That's the most ridiculous…_

"Well, are you?" He said again. "I mean…you show a lot of signs."

"No, dad." I lifted my head. "I'm not on drugs." I put my hand up to my forehead then rubbed. I didn't mean to but a laugh escaped. "That's the most ridiculous thing ever! Where would I even find drugs?" I spoke louder than I needed to.

"Well, you were at that hospital." My dad pointed out.

"And you think I would have?" I looked at him stupidly with wide-eyes.

He hesitated. "…well…it wouldn't be the first time."

I gave him a disbelieving look. It was true. I was no innocent. My dad knew about the stuff I did with my friends. However, that was a long time ago when I was a stupid kid. I'm not like that anymore, and it hurt that he would think that about me. I was embarrassed that he said it in front of the others, especially Daryl. I didn't say anything, just looked down with an annoyed look. My dad, Carol and Michonne took turns saying stuff to me. I didn't respond though. I was shutdown. Betrayed. And pissed off.

"Why can't you just tell us, Abby?" My dad pleaded. I glanced up at Daryl because I wondered why he hasn't said anything this whole time. I got my answer when I saw his face. He was staring at the floor looking as uncomfortable as me. Maybe he feels bad for me? "Abby?" My dad said again.

I became angry and exhaled sharply. "I'm not sayin' there is but…if there were something wrong with me…maybe I don't wanna talk about it! Maybe I don't want to talk about it with you!" I pointed at my dad and gave him dirty look. He looked hurt. He tried to touch me, but I pulled away and left hurriedly.

I sat by myself on the back porch. I am wounded. Wounded and betrayed.

* * *

I guess at some point when I wasn't around, my dad and the others decided that we would stay for another night. I didn't really care what we did anymore. _What was the point? We aren't going anywhere._

I came out of my room at some point in the night to use the bathroom, and I heard Daryl and my dad talking…about me. "I'm just really worried about her." My dad said. "She's usually not like this. I mean…Lori and me had some trouble with her before but I thought she was over all that." I blushed. _Dad? Why does he have to bring that shit up?_ But part of me was feeling guilty. More guilty. "There's something going on with her and I don't know what but…I can't get through to her. She doesn't want to tell me and that's fine but she needs to be able to confide in someone. I can't be her father and her best friend."

I looked down. There was a brief pause.

"Alright." I heard Daryl say after some time. "Leave Abby to me. I'll look after her." I looked up with a questioning look. _What? What does he mean?_ "I think I know what she needs. So…I'll take 'er on a run with me tomorrow so it's just the two of us."

"Okay." My dad finally agreed. My eyes widened. _Just me and Daryl?_ I have to admit, I like that we're all together but I miss the time I spent with just him and I. _But what did he have planned?_ I felt nervous yet excited.

* * *

Daryl and I left on our run the next day like he told my dad he would. We were walking and neither of us really said anything until we were pretty far away from the house. "Ya feelin' better?" Daryl was the one to break the silence.

"Yeah." I sighed.

"Good." There was a brief silence. "Hey, I'm sorry about yesterday." He said. I looked at him. "I wanted to tell ya what yer dad had planned but…" He trailed off. "I felt bad."

I raised my eyebrows. _Yeah, a warning would have been nice._ "It's okay." I finally said. "I could tell you didn't wanna be there." I sighed and looked at the sky. "I know my dad is just worried about me but…I wish he wouldn't. It just makes me feel worse." I looked down. "And then when he asked me if I was on drugs," I scoffed, "I don't know. That just really…" I trailed off shaking my head. "I don't know why he'd think that."

"Well, he feels bad about it." Daryl said. I scoffed again. "He does. He told me so himself. And yer right, he is worried about ya. We all are."

"Yeah?" I looked at him. "Is that why you brought me on this run? Or is it so you can beat my ass again?"

"Hey!" He stopped us. "I apologized fer that. You don't know how bad I felt after doin' that to you. I had no right." He sighed and calmed down a little.

I felt even more guilty. I shouldn't have brought it up. I nodded. "It's okay." I said to him. "I know you apologized. I shouldn't have brought it up." I started walking again.

"Well, it must still be botherin' ya then."

"It's not." I snapped. "I promise. I wouldn't even care if you did it again." My face went red. _Did I really just say that?_ I couldn't even look at him. _Please say something else._

I heard Daryl snort. "So, why ya so pissed at me then? Was it somethin' I said?" I think he was teasing me now.

"I'm not. I just…" I trailed off. I realized that I didn't have to lie. It's just me and him here and I knew I could be real with him. "Just," I turned to him, "why'd you call me your sister?"

"What?" He looked down at me. "I didn't."

"Yes, you did. Twice." I pushed my hair out of my face. "You called me 'sis'."

He hesitated. "…you don't want me to call ya that?"

"No, I don't like it." I scrunched my nose up. "Why would you call me that anyway?"

"It's…just a nickname us guys would call girls…back where I'm from."

I blinked at him. _Oh._ "So…you _don't_ think of me as a sister?"

He snorted. "No." The way he said it gave me hope. "Unless…you want me to?"

"No." I said too quickly. I became a little embarrassed at the look he gave me. "Uh, I just mean…I don't know how you see me." I shrugged. "I'm not you. I mean…I don't see you as a brother." I looked down with wide-eyes. _This conversation is getting really awkward._

"Well, how _do_ you see me?" He asked.

My face heated up and my heart skipped a beat. _I. Can't. Tell. Him._ I shook my head. "Where are we going anyway?"

Daryl cleared his throat. "There's a small town up ahead. Thought we could look for supplies."

"Okay." I nodded. I exhaled in relief.

* * *

Daryl and I checked around in small shops and stores. We didn't find a lot. We never did anymore. We dropped the whole conversation we had earlier. I was thankful. "Hit the jackpot with batteries." I said to Daryl showing him the whole pack I found.

"Nice." He said. "We always need batteries."

Just then, I spotted a package of toilet paper and let out a small laugh. "Speaking of things we always need." I pointed to it. Daryl and I laughed.

All of a sudden, he was slammed into the shelves by a person. My eyes widened and I put my gun up. "Stop right there, asshole!" I yelled.

"It's okay." The guy said. He was wearing a ski mask. "I just need some weapons and supplies." He sounded familiar.

"What the hell do you think we're here for?" I yelled at him. I took the safety off my gun and stepped closer.

"Abby." Daryl said with a hand up. "Don't."

"Look, I don't want to hurt anyone. I just need weapons, that's it!" He said. He seemed to stop when he looked at me. "Abby?" He said. My eyes widened for a second then hardened again. "Abby, it's me." He took his mask off.

It was one of my teachers from high school. My math teacher Freshmen year. Mr. Coch. His name was pronounced like 'cook' but we all said it like it sounds because it made him mad. I remembered he kicked me out of his class for laughing at something my friend did. I suddenly shook that thought. "Yeah, I know who you are. It doesn't matter. Not one little bit."

"Abby, please." He had his hands up.

I almost felt bad and put my gun down. _He tried to hurt Daryl._ I glared. _Just do it! Don't think!_ I grunted then pulled the trigger. He went down. I immediately started going through his pockets. I took the little supplies he had. "I think we're good." I said to Daryl. "We should check that store across the street first, though, there might be more food." I absentmindedly looked up at Daryl then did a double take. He was giving me a shocked look. "What?" I asked him.

He finally just shook his head. "Nothin'."

* * *

"You knew that guy?" Daryl asked me when we were in the next store.

I looked at him for a second then back down. "Yeah, he was a teacher at my school." I said nonchalantly. I didn't like the way he was looking at me. "What?" I snapped. "You don't like it when I go savage like everyone else?"

"No, I don't!" He snapped back. "It ain't who you are."

I looked at him for a minute. "Yeah, well…I don't really know who I am anymore."

He didn't say anything right away. "You didn't have to do that."

I stopped and looked up at him giving him the dumbest look. "He attacked you! What do you mean—

" _I_ could have handled it." He cut me off. "Is what I was tryin' to say."

I hesitated and just looked at him. "Well," I started backing up, "I handled it. I took him care of him." I leaned against the wall and put my head down. I didn't believe the things I was saying.

"Abby."

"Look, I don't wanna talk about it anymore, okay?" I looked up at him. "He's gone so it doesn't matter." I started walking towards the door.

"No." Daryl said. "Stop!" He yelled. I stopped dead in my tracks but didn't turn to look at him. I heard him walking closer. "There's somethin' goin' on with you and I wanna know what?" He stood in front of me. "What's goin' on, Abby?" He spoke softer.

His look is what got me, I finally gave into my emotions again, just like that day at that house. I stared at him sadly and started shaking my head. It took me a long time to be able to speak. "I…I killed someone that was trying to help me." I blurted out. My lip quivered so I looked down.

"Was it an accident?" Daryl asked me.

"No." I shook my head. I took a deep breath before speaking again. "He was—he was at that hospital, the first time. His name was Noah." I looked at Daryl. "He was nice…and he was trying to help me escape. We got swarmed on the way out." I looked down and swallowed hard. "I knew that…" I was starting to get choked up. "That both of us weren't going to make it out of there. And, so…I…shot him." I blinked. "I-I shot him." I paused for a moment. "The walkers got him…and I was able to get out." I nodded. "I killed him to save me. He was an innocent person. A _good_ person. And I killed him." I stared at the floor. "I'm a murderer." I looked back up at Daryl. He was staring at me, he looked sad. "And now, his face is going to haunt me for the rest of my life." I said seriously.

"Abby." Daryl put his hand on my shoulder.

"You know," I spoke before he did, "when I killed that guy that was gonna rape me, back at that house, it didn't feel wrong. I mean…I'm not gonna say it felt _right…_ but it didn't feel wrong…because he was bad." I stopped to take a breath. "But killing that kid…felt so wrong."

"Look, Abby, listen to me," Daryl started, "I know ya feel bad, I completely understand why, but…like ya told me, ya cain't change the past. Yer here _because_ of that kid. And I know yer always gonna feel bad about it and regret it but…the only thang ya can do is be worthy of that sacrifice." He shook his head. I looked at him seriously. He put his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. "That's all ya can do."

"But…but I'm a murderer." I gave him a sad look.

"We all are." He shook his head. "We've all done thangs. You just…you just gotta let it go. Let it go." He said softly. I looked at him and tears welled up in my eyes. I blinked a few times. "Com'ere." He pulled me in for a hug, one arm around my waist and the other on my head. I just put my face into his shoulder and sobbed for a minute. I felt him rest his head on top of mine.

* * *

 **Thanks everyone for the reviews, favorites and follows! It means so much to me that you read my stories! Please give me a review and tell me if you are excited about The Walking Dead returning this Sunday! I know I am! :D**


	10. Comfort

I left that place that day feeling so much better. It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I guess maybe it was that I told someone, I talked about it. And…Daryl comforted me. I let him, I let myself be. And the fact that it was Daryl made it so much better.

Yeah, so, things were better there. However, I needed to talk to my dad and fix things with him. It doesn't all fall on me though. He hurt my feelings pretty bad so he needs to apologize as well. And because of that, I decided to wait for him to come to me. In the meantime, though, I want to make sure he and the others know I'm not mad.

Daryl and I put everything we found on the kitchen table once we got back to the house. "They better appreciate the haul we brought in." I joked.

"Yeah." Daryl let out a small laugh.

I started thinking and debated on whether or not to tell him my idea. "So, I was thinking…" I started but trailed off. "If we're going to be here for a while, I'm gonna ask Sasha if she'll move over here and I'll move in with you guys."

Daryl turned slowly and looked at me. "Why?" He kind of squinted at me. I hesitated. "Abby, yer gonna have to talk to him eventually."

"I…just wanna put some distance between us for a while." I shrugged. He was still looking at me weird so I felt the need to further explain. "Look, I'm not mad at him, but…he really hurt me and I want him to know that."

"So, you doin' this cuz you wanna hurt him?" Daryl then said. I couldn't read his expression. Was it disappointment?

"No, Daryl, that's not it…" I sighed. "You just don't get it—

"No, I don't get it." He cut me off. "But," he put both hands on my shoulders and looked at me, "you do what you gots to do." He nodded. He gave me his approval. I was thankful. I just nodded in return.

* * *

I had already talked to Sasha and got everything figured out. She was going to take my place over here and I was going to take her place over there. I was packing a bag with clothes in it when my dad walked in. "Goin' on vacation?" He joked.

"Somethin' like that." I said without looking at him.

"Abby." He stopped me and said more seriously this time. "You aren't gonna do anything stupid like try to run away, are you?"

I almost gave him a dirty look. _Does he think I'm sixteen?_ "No. I'm moving out." I walked passed him.

"What?" He kind of laughed.

 _You won't be in a minute._ I thought. "Yup. I already talked it over with Sasha. She's gonna move in here and I'm moving next door with Daryl and Carol."

He stared at me. _Now, I got his attention._ He was giving me a serious dad look. "Abby, you don't have to do that." He shook his head.

"I want to." I shrugged. "It's better this way." The next thing that happened was almost unbearable. My dad kind of looked down and there was this look in his eyes that I have never seen before. It made me feel bad and I almost rethought this whole thing. He looked back up at me sadly and nodded. I left hurriedly because I didn't want to look at him like that anymore. I stopped dead in my tracks halfway down the hall. _Maybe I should just go back and tell him?_ I thought. Then, I remembered and shook my head. _No, I can't do that._ "Bye, daddy." I called back then left.

I walked right next door. Glenn and Maggie didn't live there anymore, they moved to another house because they wanted their privacy. I can't say I blame them. It's kind of hard to be intimate when there's twelve other people watching you.

Daryl answered the door a few seconds after I knocked on it. "Hey." I said.

"Hey." He stood aside so I could come in. "Ya got all yer stuff?"

"Yeah." I said quickly.

"Hi, Abby." Carol said to me. I said hi back. "You can put your stuff in that room at the end of the hall."

"Okay, thanks." I hurriedly walked back there and closed the door. I held it together until I got inside then sobbed immediately after closing the door. I had my hand over my mouth so they couldn't hear me. I hated what was going on between my dad and I. That look he gave me…it was so sad. I just wanted to run back over there and jump into his arms and let him hold me. But I couldn't. I continued to sob silently.

* * *

It took me longer to calm down than was planned. I needed to stop crying before I went out there. Every time I stopped myself, I would start again. And, so, I spent a longer time in that room than I wanted to.

I did eventually calm down though. I went to join Daryl and Carol afterwards. They both looked up when they saw me. "There ya are." Daryl said. "Fer a minute, I didn't thank ya was comin' back out."

Carol laughed. "Yeah, sorry." I smiled. "I had some stuff on my mind so I took my time unpacking."

"That's okay." Said Carol. "I hope you're hungry. I made you some soup."

I blinked in surprise. "You made me food?"

"…well, it's only soup." She smiled.

"Wow. I like it better over here already." I laughed.

"Right?" Daryl joked with me.

The three of us sat there and talked while I ate and then afterwards too. I was feeling better and better about my move. I mean…I still felt bad about my dad and I want things to go back to the way they were but soon that image of him faded.

"And then he was like, 'you look like you don't know, just say I don't know'. And I was like 'wow, what a jerk'." I said. I was telling them a story about a guy that was rude to me at work.

"You should have said, 'excuse me, sir, but I _don't_ know. It's my first day and I'm a little unsure still." Carol said.

"Yeah, or ya coulda decked 'im." Daryl said.

I laughed. "Believe me, I wanted to." We all laughed then.

"I went for this one job one time." Carol started to say. "Everything was on a computer and I had no idea what I was doing." She let out a small laugh. "I was never good with that stuff? Are you good with that stuff, Abby?"

"What, technology? Yeah, I was pretty good with that." I nodded. "I was the one who dealt with most of that crap at my house. My mom wasn't too good and my dad was completely clueless." I smiled. "Although, I ruined my phone pretty bad one day."

"What did you do to it?" Carol said with a laugh.

I hesitated. They're going to think I'm so dumb after I tell them this. "Well, it needed charged only I couldn't find my charger so I…put it in the microwave." I said nervously waiting for a response.

"Ya put the damn thang in the microwave?" Daryl asked roughly.

"Yeah." I smiled innocently. "Well, I mean…it charged it. But then it broke." I said the last part quietly. They laughed but Daryl shook his head. "I told ya I was dumb."

"No. Ya just didn't get it out in time." Daryl said. We all laughed some more.

We talked for a while longer and then Carol went to bed. It was just Daryl and I now. "You okay?" He asked me.

I looked at him for a minute not knowing why he asked me that. "Yeah, I'm fine." I shrugged.

"I was just askin' cuz…you was in yer room fer a pretty long time earlier."

"Oh yeah." I looked down. "I may have…cried a little." I let out a small laugh. "But it was only because…when I told my dad I was leaving. He looked really sad. I'm okay now, though." I nodded.

Daryl shook his head. "You two need to stop bein' stupid and just make up."

"I didn't do anything." I said wide-eyed. "He's the one who accused me of being on drugs." I crossed my arms in front of me. "And brought up past shit."

"You never made a mistake before?" He gave me a stupid look.

"Yeah, but…I'm letting him to come to me." I said stubbornly. Daryl sighed. I didn't let it get to me how he was acting. We all know how he is when he has a beef with someone.

"Alright, it's gettin' late." Daryl said.

"So?"

He looked at me. "So get yer ass to bed."

I let out a short laugh. "Uh, well…I usually stay up pretty late. It takes me a while to fall asleep anyway." He gave me that look like back on the road mixed with a little bit of annoyance. I could feel my face heat up. I let out a nervous laugh. "Huh, I think I'll go to bed now." I grinned at him.

"Yeah." He nodded. We both laughed.

"Night, Daryl."

"Night, sweetheart."

* * *

The last few days here I have been great. Daryl, Carol and I get along real well. I wasn't really even missing my dad after that. And I mean…he lives right next door, it's not like I will never see him again.

However, on this particular day, my dad, Abraham, Glenn, Maggie and Michonne went on a run together. The rest of us stayed back. I went to go see Carl and Judith during this time, which was good because I was missing my brother and sister. I was attempting to feed Judith, she was giving me a hard time. "Come on, Judy, eat. You gotta eat." I told her.

"Sucks when you're trying to get someone to eat and they won't, doesn't it?" Carl said. He smiled at me.

"Oh shut up." I smiled back.

He laughed. "Try the peas. I don't think she likes carrots."

"I don't blame her." I raised my eyebrows. I opened the baby jar lid and tried giving her the peas. She finally started eating. "There ya go, Judy. There ya go." I smiled.

"Hey, Abby?" Carl started. "Why are you mad at dad?"

I turned around giving him a surprised look. "I'm not mad at dad." I shook my head.

"Then why'd you move out?"

I shrugged. "We just needed some time apart."

"Well, he's been real…sad. I think he misses you."

I perked up some. "Really? He misses me?" I felt bad that that made me feel good. My brother gave me a strange look. "Don't worry. We'll talk soon."

"How soon?" He pressed.

I started shaking my head. "I don't know. Just…at some point."

"He needs you. He needs all of us." Carl's voice was raising and so was my temper. "Just talk to him, Abby. It's not hard."

"Enough!" I yelled taking him by surprise. "Just stop it, Carl!" Judith started to cry then. "Shit." I put her food and spoon down and went to pick her up. "Thanks. Thanks a lot for that." I held her close. "Shhh." I rocked her.

"You're going to try and blame this on me?"

"Carl." I said calmer. "Listen…I've got some…anger issues going on." I nodded. "I've got problems, I know that. I don't know why, but they're there."

My brother was silent a minute. "It's because of dad."

I sighed. I was losing here. "Carl."

"It is!" He snapped. "You need him. How can you not see it? It was always you and dad. He always helped you. Made you feel better." He nodded. "You need him, Abby. You need each other."

I thought about what he said. He might actually be on to something. My anger issues started when he wasn't around. And when I was little and I would cry or something, I always wanted my dad. I rarely went to my mom. I put my head down. "You're right."

"So go talk to him."

I nodded. "I will when he gets back." Judith was calmed down so I put her back in her chair. "Thanks, kid." I smiled at my brother then we hugged.

We were gathered together a little later while we waited for the others to get back from their run. Carol was holding Judith. Daryl, Carl and I were sitting there talking occasionally and I'm not sure what the others were doing.

We heard a noise at the door, just then, and knew they finally got back. Abraham was the first to walk into the house. He had a strange expression on his face but it soon left when Rosita greeted him. Glenn and Maggie were next followed by Michonne. They, too, had the same expression only it looked a little worse. I made my way over there. "Any trouble?" Daryl was the first to ask.

No one said anything right away. "A little." Michonne finally answered.

"Hey, where's my dad?" I asked her. "I gotta talk to him. Is he still outside?" I started walking towards the door.

"Abby, hold up." Glenn stopped me. "We gotta talk."

"About what?" I gave them a questioning look. They all just looked at me.

* * *

I was sitting on the couch with my head down. Daryl was next to me rubbing my back. Some of the others were talking lowly about going back out tomorrow to look, but I wasn't listening. All I kept thinking about was that my dad is missing.

 _How could this have happened? There were four others there! What were they doing? Picking daisies?_ I was feeling sick and faint. I couldn't even eat. I just want my dad to walk through those doors. "I'll be right back." Daryl told me. He got up and walked away.

Just then, Tara sat down next to me. "Hey, how ya holdin' up?" She put her hand on my back. I just shook my head. "Don't worry. We're gonna find him and he's gonna be just fine." She nodded. I appreciated her words, but I just couldn't right now. I went to take a breath and a sob escaped. I sniffled.

"We know you're upset and worried but crying isn't going to do anything." Rosita said to me.

"Leave 'er alone." Daryl said roughly.

"Well, it is her fault." Carl said. Everyone seemed to turn their attention to my brother, everyone except me.

"Carl." Michonne said.

"No, she needs to know." He said. "He went out because of you. Because you made him feel bad! He hasn't been right this whole time because of you. If something happens to him, if he doesn't come back, that's—that's on you—

"Carl, STOP IT!" Daryl yelled taking everyone by surprise. "I know yer just mad but, she has nothin' to do with this, alright? It ain't her fault. Stop tryin'a pull the guilt card on 'er. She don't need it." He spoke roughly. "Now sit down and be quiet."

Carl did what Daryl said. I saw that he looked like he felt bad and Michonne rubbed his arm. Daryl stuck up for me but he didn't have to. Carl's words had no effect on me. I was feeling completely numb. All I wanted to do was lay down…and maybe drink. But I didn't move from my spot.

"Here's a good question," Rosita started. I feel more tension coming. "Why aren't we out looking instead of here yelling at a kid?" She glanced at Daryl when she said that. He scowled back.

"Because it's dark and it'll be useless." Abraham said to her. "Don't be stupid."

"Don't call me stupid." She snapped.

"Everyone stop." Glenn said. "Look, we're gonna start looking first thing in the morning. Right now is too dangerous."

"It's always dangerous." Sasha said. "If we wait, it might be too late."

It felt like someone punched me in the stomach just then. I got up slowly and made my way to the back door. "Abby?" Someone called. I ignored them and went to sit outside by myself. I realized then that my dad was the glue that held all of us together. That's why everyone started fighting in there. My alone time didn't last for long, though. I heard footsteps behind me, I knew it was Daryl. "Hey." He said and sat next to me. "It's gonna be okay. We'll find 'im, alright? And where ever he is, he's fine. Yer dad's a tough sum'bitch."

I tried to swallow the lump that was forming in my throat. "Carl was right. It is my fault."

"Don't." He said. "Don't go there. Don't put that on yerself."

I looked down and started breathing heavily. I knew the tears were coming, I couldn't fight it anymore. "I don't want my last memory of him to be his sad face." And there it was. I started balling. Daryl had his arms around me and let me cry into his chest.

* * *

They organized two search groups. Daryl took his group out early this morning. I wanted to go with him but he made me stay home along with Carl. We looked after Judith. They came back…and no luck…my dad was still MIA. The second group, which is Abraham's, is out there right now.

I had to be tough. So, I sucked it up and pretended like this all wasn't happening. After all, this is what it's going to be look like if we don't find him. I mainly looked after my sister the whole time. "Ya okay?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah." Was all I said. I continued rocking my sister and eventually got her to go to sleep.

"I can never get her to go to sleep." Carl said to me. I was surprised that he actually talked to me.

"Yeah, well, I can't get her to eat. So, we're even." I raised my eyebrows. Carol took her from me and put her in her crib.

"Hey, Abby?" Carl said. "What I said to you…I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I was just angry."

I thought about what he said and nodded. "Yes, you did. And that's okay." I let it go.

A little later, I was sitting by the fireplace. Daryl was comforting me again, even though I told him I was okay, I don't think he believed me.

We heard a commotion outside and I jumped up. Abraham and everyone walked in. I was looking at him wide-eyed. He just sighed and shook his head. My face fell and I looked down. Daryl put his hands on my shoulders. "Ya find anythang at all?" He asked them. "Any leads?"

Abraham sighed again. "Well, we were thinking maybe he— There was a noise outside. Everyone turned like at the same time and pointed their weapons. We waited in anticipation to see what it was. "It's him." Abraham said. My eyes widened immediately. He helped my dad inside. He didn't look hurt, but he was probably weak from dehydration.

"Dad!" Carl said and ran to him. They hugged. I just stood back and watched them sadly. Others hugged him and Daryl and Glenn shook his hand. He glanced at me for a second.

"You alright?" Daryl asked him.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I'm good. I was hiding out in a deli after that herd came through. I didn't have enough bullets so I had to just wait it out." He kind of laughed. There were some other laughs around the room. And a few 'glad you're okay's' and 'good to have ya back's'. Carol went to go make him something to eat and most of the others went back to their normal stuff. I stayed right there in my spot, though.

My dad stared at me again. I made my way over then stopped just in front of him. I looked at him sadly. There were things I wanted to say but for some reason, I couldn't speak.

All of a sudden, we hugged each other at the same time. I exhaled. I needed this. "Are you okay, daddy?" I said quietly and looked up at him with tears in my eyes. I refused to let them fall, though.

"Yeah, I'm okay, baby." He touched my cheek and gave me a small smile. I just latched myself onto him again and we held each other tightly. I was so happy and relieved.

He finally loosened his grip on me but kept his arms around me. I looked up at him. "We're gonna have a talk later, okay?" He said to me. I nodded. He kissed my forehead twice, then we hugged one more time.

* * *

Way later, I was sitting out on the back porch by myself. I left my dad alone while he was eating. I figured he would come find me when he was done and wanted to talk. I heard his footsteps and knew I was right. "Hey." He said.

"Hey."

"You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." I looked at him. "Are you?"

"Yes." He answered. He sat down next to me. His hand touched my back for a second. We were both quiet for a minute. "Are you feeling better about…what ever it was that was bothering you?"

"Yeah." I looked at him and nodded. "I talked to Daryl." I paused for a second. "It's not that I didn't want to tell you, it's just—

"It's okay, baby. You don't have to explain. I understand." He said. I gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry about the 'intervention'." He let out a small laugh. I sighed and put my head down. He must have realized that I wasn't laughing. "Really. I am."

I looked back up and swallowed. "I'm sorry I left." I then said. "Carl asked me why I was mad at you the other day, and I told him I wasn't…but the truth is…I was." I nodded and looked at him. "You really hurt me, dad."

"I know." He looked sad.

"No, I don't think you do." I shook my head. "You accused me of doing drugs. I'm not that irresponsible… _kid_ anymore. You brought that up from the past like a grudge. And you embarrassed me." I gave him an annoyed look. "You could have come to me yourself and we could have talked about it. Instead you said it in front of Daryl and Carol and embarrassed me."

"Abby, I-I know." He turned a little so he could face me better. "And I'm so so sorry I did that to you." He grabbed my hand in his. "I wish I could take it back. You don't know how bad I felt that I hurt my little girl. I'll never forgive myself but…I hope that you do."

Now I started to feel bad again. It wasn't completely him. I was being pretty difficult to be around lately. "I do." I nodded. "And I'm sorry for the way I have been acting."

He nodded. "It's okay." We were quiet for a few seconds. "Come here." He put his arm around me and I leaned into him. I missed this.

"Although, it's been a few days since I've seen you." He said. I smiled. I knew where this was going. "How many days?"

"I think like four." I admitted.

"Four days?" He said it like he couldn't believe it. "Well, then…I'm gonna have to…" He suddenly kissed me a bunch of times on my cheek. I giggled. My dad could be corny, but I was just super glad we made up. "I want you back home tomorrow. Got it?"

"Okay." I smiled.

* * *

 **Please review! :D**


	11. The Greatest, In General

I sat there at the table pushing my food around and not talking. "You still not feeling good?" My dad asked me. I didn't answer, just continued pushing my food around and took a sip of my water.

"What's 'a matter?" Daryl asked.

"Think she has a stomach bug or something." My dad answered for me. He looked at me. "You should try to eat something at least."

"No," I said annoyed, "because I'm just going to throw it up and I don't want to again." I got a sickening feeling in my stomach and sighed. "I wanna go lay down." I got up and went in to lay down on the couch. I shivered. I hate feeling sick like this. And why now? I woke up very early this morning feeling sick to my stomach. I knew that I was going to puke so I went outside so I wouldn't be too loud and wake everyone else up. I vomited like crazy. Everything I ate last night ended up in the yard.

I must have fallen asleep because someone was shaking me. "Mmm." I moaned.

"Abby, why don't you move into your room, okay?" My dad said. "Come on, you'll sleep better in there." He tried. I just rolled back over and ignored him. I heard my dad sigh.

"I got 'er." Daryl said. He roughly and quickly lifted me, causing me to groan. He carried me into my room and put me in my bed. I mumbled a 'thanks' to him. I must have been completely out of it. "Feel better, okay?" Daryl said to me. It makes me feel good that he cares. I went back to sleep after that.

* * *

I was up super early the next day and couldn't get back to sleep, probably because I went to bed so early yesterday, so I just decided to get up. I made my way into the kitchen to see what there was to eat, I was feeling…not completely better but better than yesterday. "Feelin' better?" A voice said right behind me.

My eyes widened, and I almost jumped out of my skin. I knew it was Daryl but I had no idea he was right there. I turned to him. "Oh my God. Don't do that." I said to him. "You just scared the shit outta me. I didn't even hear you come in."

He chuckled a little. "Sorry." He was holding a bag. I forgot to mention that Daryl lives with us now. His bedroom is right across from mine, which I like.

"You could be a ninja." I made a gesture with my hand and laughed.

"Well, ya must be feelin' better." He cleared his throat. "How come yer up so early?"

"Uh, maybe because I went to bed at like six in the evening yesterday." I crossed my arms over my chest. He let out a small laugh. "What are _you_ doing up so early?" I pointed an accusative finger at him.

"I'm always up early." He answered. "And I got ya this." He opened his bag that had crackers and a bottle of ginger ale inside.

I blinked a few times. "You got that stuff for me?"

He nodded. "Fer yer stomach."

I smiled at him. "Oh my God. I can't believe you did that for me. You're so nice." I said to be corny, then I hugged him around the waist. "I'm gonna make you something special now."

"Yeah, yeah." He said. I let go and laughed. "Sure are in a good mood fer someone that ain't a mornin' person."

I nervously bit my lip and shrugged. "Well…maybe I should go to bed at six every night." I let out a little laugh. He snorted and walked to the other side of the room. "So, what do you like?"

He looked at me. "What do ya mean 'what do I like'?"

"Do you like pie or cake or…something like that?" I sat up on the counter next to where he was standing.

He shrugged at first, then he narrowed his eyes at me. "Why?"

"Because…I wanna do something nice for you." I said seriously. "For getting me that stuff."

"Nah." He shook his head.

"No for cake _and_ pie?"

"No fer anythang." He looked at me. "Ya don't gotta do nothin' fer me." He started to walk away.

I hopped down off the counter and followed him. "But I _want_ to. You're my favorite person here." I suddenly got an idea. "Oh, what about pudding?"

"Abby." He turned to me.

"Will you just tell me something you like?" I said annoyed.

He looked down at me for a minute then sighed. "Jell-o." He finally said.

I scrunched my nose up. "Ew." I said. "Gross."

"What do ya mean, 'gross'?" He said roughly.

"It's all gooey and wiggley." I grimaced. "It makes me feel like I'm eating mucus."

He sighed loudly. "You asked me somethin' I liked and I told ya! Take it or not!"

I giggled at his sudden outburst. "Jell-o it is." I smiled. "What flavor?"

"Don't care." He said calmer. "Now eat some 'a this shit." He began pouring a glass of ginger ale. I laughed again when he said 'shit'. "You laugh at everythang, don't ya? I bet if the house caught on fire or if I fell and broke my leg, you'd laugh."

I laughed loudly for a moment. "No. I would never laugh at my favorite person getting hurt." I hugged his arm.

"Yeah." He looked down at me. "Here." He handed me the glass of ginger ale.

"Thanks." I took it and a pack of crackers and went into the other room.

* * *

I found out that Glenn wanted to go on a run later so I asked him if I could come with him. Of course, he said yes. He and I were in a store looking around. "Looking for anything special?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I wanna get something special for Maggie." He said.

"Special as in…?"

He shrugged. "Our anniversary is coming up one of these days."

I looked at him and grinned from ear to ear. "Oh, you are so whipped." I teased him.

"Yeah, whatever." He smiled and waved. "Well, what did you come on this run for?"

I smiled shyly. "I wanna get something special for Daryl."

He raised his eyebrows. "Daryl?" He questioned me. I nodded. "Why?"

I shrugged. "He does a lot…for everyone." I said not to give too much away. He was giving me a look. "He does!"

"Yeah, he does." Glenn crossed his arms. "But why do _you_ feel like you have to do something special for him?"

I blushed so I turned my back to him and started walking. "He got me crackers and ginger ale because I was sick."

"Oh, I see. So, you're just returning the favor?"

I smiled to myself. "Sure."

I walked around for a while trying to find things after that. I got a few other items that weren't on the list. I needed to find Daryl some of those already made jell-o's. I can't make them at home because it wouldn't be able to jell without being cold.

I checked the section where I thought they would be. There was a pack of pudding and cake things left…but no jell-o. I looked down sadly. All I wanted to do was get Daryl something he likes and I can't even do that. I sighed heavily and grabbed the few items on the shelf. I went to find Glenn.

"You good?" He said to me.

I nodded sadly. "Yeah, I'm ready when you are." I sighed.

"Doesn't sound like you had too much luck?" Glenn said. I just shook my head. "What were you looking for anyway?"

"Jell-o." I said.

"Well, maybe they have some in the back."

"You think?"

"It wouldn't hurt to check."

"Okay." I followed him back there. We split up, he checked one side and I checked the other. We checked for a pretty long time.

"Alright, I'm calling it. Sorry, Abby." Glenn said. "We told the others we'd be back by now."

"I know." I put my head down. _Well, he'll have to do with pudding._ I thought. I began walking towards the door and I tripped, I grabbed onto a shelf bringing the whole thing down with me and hit the ground hard and grimaced.

"Are you alright?" Glenn was there immediately.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good." I said. I absentmindedly looked to the right and I couldn't believe my eyes. There was a four pack of jell-o right there! I grabbed it. "No way!" I held it up so Glenn could see.

He laughed. "How 'bout that?"

"That's insane." I said excitedly. "I can't believe…" _That was seriously crazy._

"You have some good luck." Glenn said to me. I remembered Daryl said that back at that house. Glenn helped me up and we headed back to the house.

* * *

I kept the little jell-o's in my room and didn't say anything about them. We ate dinner together like yesterday and now everyone was just sitting at the able talking. I thought it was a perfect time to get Daryl his treat. I grabbed the whole pack and took them back to the kitchen with me. Taking one of them out of the box, I stared at it. _That's not a lot of jell-o._ I thought. _Oh well._ I took out another one and spooned them into a bowl.

I heard someone walk into the kitchen with me and looked up. It was my brother. "Oh cool, jell-o." He said and reached for one.

"No." I pulled it away. "This isn't for you."

"Why?" He said angrily.

"Cuz it's not." I handed him one of the puddings. "Here."

"Oh, pudding. Even better." He dug in.

I snickered quickly. _Wow._ I walked the bowl of jell-o into the dining room where everyone else was sitting and sat the bowl in front of Daryl. He looked at it and then at me. "I got your jell-o." I smiled. He kind of side smiled at me then shook his head.

"Oh, jell-o." My dad said. "Let me get one." He smiled.

"No, no." I said. "This is just for Daryl. No one else touches it." I warned. Daryl raised his eyebrows then started eating.

"Why'd ya only get him something?" Michonne asked. I could tell she was like joking.

"Because…Daryl is the greatest." I answered her.

"Yeah, the greatest at what?" She teased some more.

I thought for a minute. "He's just the greatest, in general."

Everyone laughed. Daryl kind of did, too, but he looked like he was getting a little uncomfortable. I know it's because he doesn't like attention drawn to him. "What, do you have a crush on him?" Carl then said.

"Daryl's my bae." I smirked.

"Did you just say 'babe'?" My dad asked me wide-eyed.

"No, bae. BAE." I spelled it for them.

"What's that?" My dad asked me again.

" _You'll_ never know." I raised my eyebrows. I always enjoyed teasing my dad.

"Alright, enough 'a this greatest and 'bae' talk." Daryl said. He looked at me when he said bae. I laughed. "Let me eat my damn jell-o in peace."

"Yeah, leave Daryl alone." I told everyone. "I gotchu." I gently slapped his arm.

"I see that." He raised his eyebrows again. We all laughed.

I went into my room after that. I like having fun with everyone else but…when I'm alone…I don't know, I just feel…weird. I pulled my iPod out of my pocket. I wasn't about to listen to music, I wasn't in the mood, but I had tons of pictures and videos of my old friends and family on there. I look through them occasionally and tonight I wanted to. The home screen was a photo of me and my dog, Codger. I missed him a lot. I wish he was still with me. I looked down sadly. Maybe I will get another dog one day. My screen shut off. The battery was dead so I only turned it on occasionally and it didn't last very long. Sometimes, it took a while to light up. It's only a matter of time before he doesn't come on at all. However, I have hope that I will be able to use it again one day.

I sat my iPod on the bedside table then sighed and laid back. Things sure are different than they used to be. We really built something at the prison, that was our home for so long and then that damn Gov. had to destroy everything. It was nice having a place like that.

We were supposed to leave here but my dad and everyone decided to wait until I was feeling better. Now that I am, we should be leaving soon. I sighed. I didn't mind traveling so much. It was just the fact that…where are we going? Like I didn't get it. Why leave a place when we don't have to? We have beds here and most impotently, a roof over our heads. So, yeah, I just didn't get it.

I got bored and wanted some fresh air so I decided to take a little walk. A night walk. Pretty dangerous these days but I will be fine and no one will even realize that I left. I grabbed my gun and knife and quietly snuck out the door. I walked briskly down the street leaving the neighborhood and then onto the main road. I wasn't going to go too far, maybe just down the street aways. I walked slower as I traveled.

I decided to try and walk straight on the yellow line. My friends and I used to do that all the time when we would walk on the road. I laughed remembering something. One of my friends lived on a main road like this and whenever my dad would drop me off at her house, he would tell me not to walk on that road…but we always did anyway. I laughed again. I was a trouble maker. We always used to walk to the boat club, so we had to take the road for that. We could have walked through the woods or on the train tracks but the road was easier. Quicker. Not sure that it was more dangerous than walking on train tracks, though? Although, I'm pretty sure we could get out of the way if a train was coming. I never understood how one gets hit by a train? Are you telling me you can't hear that shit coming? I mean…you would feel it too! I laughed and shook my head. I don't know.

I also remembered when we swam in the river. We did that a few times actually. And let's not forget when we jumped off the roof. I smiled to myself. I did so many things that my dad doesn't even know. I should tell him one day, just picturing the look on his face. I laughed. That would be entertaining.

I walked some more and daydreamed and before I knew it, I was farther than I said I was going to go. I should probably start walking back.

Just as I had that thought, I heard gunshots and froze in my tracks. I looked around. That has to be coming from back home. I gasped and started running back.

By the time I got there, the gunshots had died down. However, I saw a huge herd of walkers before me. _Oh no!_ I thought. I looked around. _Where do I go?_ I started back towards my house avoiding the walkers. I looked in the window once I got there. Everyone was gone.

Just then, I was grabbed from behind. I squealed and struggled to get the walker off of me. Eventually, I did and stabbed it. I ran around checking some of the other homes just to make sure but I never saw anyone. _They left without me._ My eyes widened and started breathing heavily. _Calm down, idiot!_ I scolded myself. _They couldn't have gotten far!_ I nodded and started off in another direction, only killing walkers when I had to.

Just then, I felt someone grab the back of my shirt and pull me down. They put a hand over my mouth so I wouldn't scream. I saw that it was Daryl and immediately calmed down. He took his hand away. "What happened? Where is everyone?"

"They left." He said looking around.

"Where?"

"Don't know."

"Daryl?" I gave him a look.

"Come on." He said. "We gotta get outta here." The two of us ran through the yard and then out onto the street. We finally stopped once we thought we were far enough.

"What…happened?" I said in between breaths.

Daryl started shaking his head. "Don't know. They just…came outta nowhere."

I thought for a minute. "It's that herd. The one my dad was talking about." I nodded.

"Yeah, it was." He said roughly. "And where were you?"

"I…I went for a walk." I said slowly. Now it sounded like a bad idea.

"Ya went fer a walk? Right now? By yerself?" He sounded angry.

"…you go out by yourself."

"That's different."

I was taken aback and became a little angry. "How's it different, Daryl?" I snapped. He looked at me but didn't say anything. I put my gun back in its holster and looked around. _Where could the others have gone?_ I had a thought just then and checked my pockets. That's when I realized that, I didn't have my iPod. I gasped. "We have to go back!" I said to Daryl.

"What? What is it?" He sounded alarmed.

"I-I forgot my iPod. It's back there!" I said wide-eyed.

Daryl seemed to relax but gave me a look. "Are you crazy?" He said. "We ain't goin' back fer _that_."

"No, you don't understand!" I was close to tears. "You have no idea how much that thing means to me!" I took a few steps back. "Please, Daryl!" I didn't even care how desperate I sounded. He didn't say anything just stood there looking at me. I knew what he was thinking though. "Fine!" I snapped. "I'll go back myself then." I turned and started running before he could say anything else.

"Abby." I heard Daryl call. "Abby!" I ignored him, though, and kept running. I ran back down the road and through the yard and all the way back to "my" house. "Abby." Daryl finally caught up with me. He stopped me before I walked into the house. "Me first." He said. I just nodded and let him. "We might as well gather up what we can since we came back." He said. I nodded. Daryl stepped inside and shined the flashlight around. It was really quiet in there. "We're good." He said.

I walked passed him and into my room. I grabbed the flashlight on my dresser and shined it at the empty space on my beside table. I just stared at it. "Ya get it?" Daryl asked from behind me.

I shook my head. "It's gone." I continued looking at the spot. "I sat it right there and it's-it's gone." I shined it around on the floor around the area and on the bed just to make sure.

I heard Daryl sigh. "I'm sorry, Abby, but we gotta go."

I just looked down numbly. "Yeah."

Daryl and I ran back down the street but kept running this time.


	12. Never Leave Without It

Daryl and I took refuge in a tall building far away from the herd. I was sitting on the floor scraping my knife on the ground. Daryl was somewhere checking to make sure the building was secure, even though we checked it already. I was worried about the others. Where they were. And I was very upset about losing my iPod. I'm like sick to my stomach over that. So, I was in one of my moods again and did not want to be in this situation right now. I didn't even care that it was just Daryl and I again. I didn't understand why he made us stop and stay here instead of looking for the others. What if they think we're dead and move on without us? It's dangerous out here, we all need each other.

"Place is locked up tight." Daryl said walking into the room. "Neither one of us should have to keep watch. We should be good." He took his crossbow off and sat it on the floor. I didn't answer him. "Ya alright?"

I turned my head slightly to look at him before answering. "Why are we here, Daryl?" I snapped. "Why aren't we out looking for the others?"

He looked taken aback. The nervous feeling I got almost made me want to laugh. He cleared his throat. "Cuz it's dark and dangerous out there and we'll be able to see better in the light." He said roughly. "I need to keep ya safe."

 _He needs to keep me safe?_ "Why?" I asked him after a minute. He just looked at me. "You're right. It is dangerous. So…why did you stay back and wait for me, Daryl? Why didn't you leave like the others?" I spoke softer. "Why'd you come back for me?"

He seemed to hesitate then he nodded. "I saw that ya weren't there so I went lookin' fer ya. That's when I saw the herd…and yelled to everyone else." He paused. "Yer dad said you didn't leave and that you was comin' back…so I told everyone to go and I'd wait there."

I thought about what he just told me. _How did my dad know that I didn't leave and I was coming back? I was so confused._ "So, you did it for my dad?" I asked him. I didn't try to hide my disappointment.

"No, I did it fer you." He said roughly.

"But why? Why you?" I needed to know. He just stared at me for what felt like forever. I looked back at him waiting for an answer.

"…we should turn in." Daryl finally said. "We can leave as soon as the sun comes up."

"Yeah." I said. I was so disappointed. I let Daryl have the couch since he was taller and I took one of the chairs with a stool. I don't think I slept at all that night. I just laid there staring at the ceiling.

* * *

I was in a worse mood today than I was last night. The reason why is because I was still mad about the same issues I was last night, only I had two more things I was pissed about. The first one was pretty obvious; I wanted Daryl to answer my question last night and he didn't. I was so so disappointed that he didn't. All I wanted was for him to say he cares about me. And the other reason why I'm pissed is because…I haven't slept.

"You okay?" Daryl asked me while we traveled. "You seem a little…slower today."

"I'm fine." I lied.

"You sure? We can rest up for another day if you want?"

"No." I answered too quickly. He gave me a weird look. "Let's just keep looking."

"Alright." He turned back around. "This is the direction they headed in. They couldn't have gotten too far."

"Yeah, unless…they figured we're dead and decided to move on without us." I said smartly. "We spent so much time at that place last night."

Daryl sighed and turned to me. "We on this again?" He said roughly. I could tell he was getting angry…and I was enjoying it. "I told ya already. We HAD to. Now, come on." We moved on. For some reason, I loved pushing this guy's buttons.

* * *

We found a little store on the road and decided to check in there. Daryl pounded on the glass with his fist to see if any walkers emerged. After some time, they did. Daryl shook his head. "Come on." He told me.

I suddenly had an urge to kill all those walkers. "Wait." I stopped him. "We can take 'em."

"Nah, ain't worth the trouble, come on." He gestured to me.

"No, you come on. There's like eight. We can handle eight. I could myself." I knew I was being difficult.

Daryl walked back over to me. "But we don't need to. We came lookin' fer our people and they ain't in 'nere." He said roughly. I just looked at him then pulled out my knife and moved like I was about to open the door. He quickly put his arm in front of me and the door. "You DON'T." He snapped. I didn't move. Daryl was looking at me sternly when I didn't back away from the door. His look scared me inside but I didn't let him know that. I finally backed away and continued walking but first I gave him a dirty look. I smiled again as soon as I turned around. I was pretty satiated with myself.

I decided to just stop talking all together after that. Daryl and I walked around for a long time that day and we weren't having any luck finding my dad and the others. We didn't even have any leads! I was beginning to think that maybe we weren't even looking in the right direction. They could have went the other way. I wasn't feeling worried, though. I was feeling very very annoyed. And I let it show.

"Maybe we should stop and take a break." Daryl suggested. "You hungry?" He asked me while looking up at the sky.

"You said they couldn't haven't gotten far." I snapped. "So, where are they? Where are they, Daryl?"

"I don't know." He snapped back. I guess he was getting tired of my attitude. "We'll find them eventually."

"And what if we don't?" I said annoyed. "What if they went the other way?"

He looked like he was thinking. I almost gasped. _He thought that too, didn't he?_ I was about to say something else but he spoke first. "They didn't. They ran this way and they said they'd be around here, alright? We'll get to them."

I stopped after that because I suddenly got a scary thought. "What if something happened to them?" I said quietly with my head down.

Daryl looked at me and put a hand on my shoulder. "It's gonna be fine." He tried to comfort me.

"You don't know that." I said quietly then began walking away. Daryl caught up with me soon after and took the lead like he always does.

* * *

I couldn't seem to shake that chip off my shoulder as we traveled. I only talked to Daryl when I had to and I gave short and/or smart answers. I don't even know honestly what I was so mad about? I just think that I went too far with it to just take back so I kept up with it. I don't even know if that makes sense? Then, I did something extremely stupid.

Well, as I said before, I got a kick out of making Daryl mad. So, I saw a walker headed towards us and got a fantastic idea. _This is the perfect way to get him back for squirting the whip cream on my face!_ "I got him." I said. I pulled my knife out and proceeded to walk over to it, only when I was about to stab it, instead I grabbed its arm and swung it around then let it go right at Daryl.

I heard him struggling as I ran ahead. I smiled to myself. "Hey!" Daryl called me. I ignored him. "Hey!" He grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me back then put both hands on my shoulders looking at me. "What the hell was that?" He yelled.

"That's payback for the whip cream." I laughed. "And I knew you could handle it." I said nonchalantly.

"That ain't the point!" He continued to yell. "Ya know how dangerous that was? Huh?" He kind of shook me. _Wow. I made him really mad._ I felt nervous and slowly put my head down but still looked up at him. He seemed to calm down. "It's gonna get dark soon. We have to start lookin' fer another place to stay the night. Come on." He began walking away.

I stayed right there though. I started to feel really bad about what I did. _What's wrong with me? That could have been really bad!_ All it had to take was a slip or trip and Daryl could have gotten bit. I stared at the ground wide-eyed and shaking my head. I forgot how dangerous they are. I looked up at Daryl walking away. "Daryl, wait!" I yelled. "I'm-I'm sorry." I ran to catch up with him. "I'm sorry." I said again.

"Yeah, I heard ya." He said roughly.

"No, I'm really sorry." I said. "I don't why I did that." I was close to tears.

Daryl stopped and looked at me. His mood seemed to change. "You mad at me or somethin'?"

I nodded sadly. "I was."

"Why?"

I looked up at him waiting for an answer. I couldn't tell him. I shook my head. "Just forget it." I put my head down. "I'm sorry."

He sighed. "Come on." He put his arm across my shoulders and kind of pulled me along. "We need to find shelter."

* * *

We stayed in a regular house this time, that meant we had to be careful and stay alert. We kind of always were alert these days anyway. I was sitting on the floor with my hands on my head. I felt like the shittiest person on earth for what I did to Daryl. _Why did I do that?_ I scolded myself. That was so unlike me. _He would never do that to you!_ I continued to make myself feel worse and worse over it. That's what I deserve for what I did.

"Ya hungry?" Daryl said. "I found some cans of beans." I didn't answer him. Just stayed exactly how I was. "What's 'a matter? Ya feelin' sick again?"

 _I wish he'd stop being so nice to me!_ I slowly shook my head. "I just feel really really bad about what I did to you." I didn't look up.

He made his way over and sat next to me. "It's okay."

"No, it's not." I said like I was sickened.

"I ain't mad." Daryl put his arm across my shoulders like earlier. "And I'm fine."

I finally made eye contact with him. "I wasn't trying to kill you." I sniffled. "I swear."

"Glad to hear that." He raised his eyebrows and kind of laughed. I let out a little laugh too. Then, I hugged him. I had to. I sighed in relief that we were both okay. I love Daryl for his understanding personality. I'm like that too. _We're a perfect pair._ I blushed and shook that thought.

I opened my bag and took out the candy bar I found. I smiled as I broke it in half and gave Daryl the other piece. He let out a small laugh. "Hey, what was you mad about anyway?" He said. "I asked if ya was mad at me and you nodded then said, 'forget it'. What was that about?"

I nervously bit my lip. "It wasn't just you, I was mad about a lot of things."

"Like what?" He glanced at me while eating the chocolate bar.

I sighed. "Well, I was a little upset about everyone. We have no idea where they are still and if they're okay." I looked down. "I hope they are." I said more quietly. "Plus…I'm really upset over losing my iPod. I'm like sick to my stomach." I shook my head and put one hand over my stomach. "I can't get over it."

I heard Daryl swallow. "What's so important about a damn iPod?" He didn't ask in a mean way, it was normal.

I took a deep breath and tried to steady myself so I wouldn't start crying. "It has…pictures and videos on it of-of my old friends and…family." It was hard to get that sentence out. I breathed.

Daryl was quiet for a minute. "…I'm sorry." He finally said. "Really, Abby, I am. I didn't know. If I did, I woulda helped ya look fer it more."

I nodded. "It's okay. There's no way you could have known. And it's not your fault, it was gone when we went back. I should have taken it with me. I always do so I don't know why I didn't that time." A sob accidentally escaped just then. I felt Daryl put his hand on the back of my neck. "It's okay. It just sucks." I sighed heavily. He started playing with the ends of my hair. I liked it, it felt real good. Plus, I liked when Daryl showed affection because he usually doesn't do that. I started breathing heavier. I hope he doesn't notice.

"Alright." He then said. He turned a little more towards me and stopped. _Don't stop._ I thought disappointingly. "So, why was ya mad at me?" He said gently. I stared at him wide-eyed. "You said you was mad about a lot 'a thangs but you also you said you was mad at me." He pointed out. I just continuing looking at him. He shook his head. "Just tell me. It's okay."

I became very nervous and sort of hesitated. "…well," I swallowed, "I was mad at you because…you didn't answer me last night." I hoped I didn't have to say anything else and he would get it but I could tell by the way he was looking at me that I had to further explain. "I asked you why you stayed for me."

He looked confused maybe. "…I thought I said it was because you was gone and ya didn't know what was goin' on—

"No." I shook my head. "Yeah, you did say that. And I get that." I looked at him then away again. "But why _you,_ Daryl?" I paused and licked my lips. "My dad could have stayed, Michonne could have stayed, Abraham could have." I looked at him again. "Why you?"

It felt time stopped and we were just staring at each other. It was the most intense stare I have ever experienced. I wish someone would just say something. But I couldn't speak, I couldn't think of what to say. "Yer my favorite person, too." Daryl finally said. "If there was one person out of anyone that I could save, it would be you. That's why I stayed."

My eyes widened and I got that feeling in my stomach when someone jumps out at you and you're not expecting it. I didn't really know how to react right then. What I really wanted to do was throw myself at him and start making out, but I don't think it's the right time for that. So, I just stayed there. "What-what about Carol?" I didn't think about it, I just said it.

"It's different with her." Daryl said.

"How?" I asked him before he spoke again.

"She's my best friend. My sister even." He explained. "But it ain't like that."

"Oh." I said. I was screaming inside. This man that I have had a crush on pretty much admitted that he has feelings for me. "Okay, so…" I cleared my throat, then swallowed. "What are we gonna do about it?"

He stared at me for a moment then shook his head. "I don't know."

I gave him a disappointed look. I didn't know either. I looked down. "I don't know how my dad would feel about—

Daryl sighed heavily causing me to look at him. "We ain't gonna do nothin' about it right now. We cain't." He shook his head. I thought about what he said and took it all in. _He's right._ I thought sadly. It's okay, though. We will figure something out. I gave him a small smile. Then, I leaned into him with my head on him. Instead of him pulling away or pushing me away, he wrapped his arm around me and we just sat there like that. I enjoyed it a lot.

* * *

I was able to get a better night's sleep that night. Plus, I was glad Daryl and I made up and…we both knew how we felt about each other. It's better for us to wait and not do anything about it right now. I completely understand where he's coming from with that. After all, I am only eighteen and he's…way older than me. I don't know how the others would feel about that. Abraham is a lot older than Rosita but they were together before we knew them, so it's different. My dad, especially, would feel weird about it. So, it's best we just keep to yourselves for now. However, I don't know how long we will have to do that.

We left early that morning to continue looking for my dad and the others. I had more hope than I did yesterday. Hopefully, we will find them soon.

We found a small shopping center and decided to look around in there. We might get lucky and find some food and other supplies while we're there.

I suddenly thought of something as I was looking around. "Did you like your jell-o?" I asked Daryl with a hint of laughter.

"Yeah." He said from a distance. "I liked my jell-o."

"Great." I giggled. "Maybe we can find more. Maybe one day we'll have a workable refrigerator and I can make you real jell-o." I grinned.

"Yeah, yeah." Daryl said. "I'on know why yer so worried about makin' me stuff?"

"Because…you're the greatest." I repeated the words from before. "And you're my bae." I laughed.

"Oh yeah." He snorted. "I fergot." We met up at the end of the aisle. "By the way, what the hell is bae?"

I almost laughed when he said it. "It means 'before anyone else'." I smiled at him. "So, you're my before anyone else." I grinned sweetly at him. He just looked at me. I couldn't hold my laugh in and busted out laughing.

He smirked and shook his head. "I should start callin' ya giggles."

"Well, it is very fitting for me." I smiled again. I walked down another aisle and looked for more supplies.

There was a section with pet stuff. I spotted a dog collar with a tag and picked up it. It made me think of my dog again. I looked at it sadly then put it back down. "Somethin' wrong?" Daryl asked me. I didn't even know he was there.

I glanced at him, then back down. "Just reminded me of my dog."

"You had a dog?" He walked closer to me.

I nodded sadly. "He was a good dog."

"Sorry." He said and put his hands on my shoulders. "Maybe we'll find another one day. I'd like to have a dog around."

"Wouldn't that be fantastic?" I smiled at him. We shared a look after that.

"Come on." Daryl finally said. "Let's get outta here."

* * *

We traveled for longer and finally…we got our first lead. We found a door that had our names written on it. "It's them." Daryl said. "It's gotta be."

"Yeah." I said. "With our luck, watch it just be a wild coincidence." I laughed.

Daryl snorted. "Come on. Stay behind me though." He opened the door very quietly and we both went inside. Abraham was there, we all saw each other and relaxed some.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked him.

"In there." He pointed.

I nodded. Then, I put my finger up to my lips and said, "shh." They both got it and I smiled. We slowly walked into the other room and I could hear them talking lowly. Someone said something about it smelling bad in there so one of them suggested spraying some perfume or something. And then Rosita said, "no, it'll attract bees and I hate those things."

"Yeah, I hate those things too." I said.

Everyone looked up at us. Some of them said, "hey," happily. I laughed. My dad was on his feet in a second and came over to me. We hugged. "Are you guys okay?" He asked us.

"Yeah, you guys?" I said.

"Yeah, we're good." My dad said but the look he had told me otherwise. He shook Daryl's hand. I was looking around at everyone and realized we looked smaller.

"Where's the rest of us?" Daryl spoke my thoughts.

My dad didn't answer right away. "We lost Tara, Eugene and Gabriel when the herd came through."

My eyes widened for a second, then I looked down sadly. My dad noticed and put his arm around me.

We went to join the others, I got a few hugs. Carol hugged Daryl and I felt a slight pang of jealousy but then I remembered what Daryl told me. _He doesn't like her like that._ I told myself.

"Oh yeah." My dad said and reached into his pocket. "Ya lose somethin'?" He handed me something. It took me a second to realize it was my iPod! My eyes went wide and I gasped.

"Oh my God!" I said excitedly. "Thanks, daddy." I hugged him tightly. He laughed. "How did you get it?"

"After that herd showed up, I went to get you in your room and you weren't there." He gave me a scolding look making me laugh. "I almost lost it. But then, I saw your iPod on the table and knew you just went out somewhere because I knew you'd never leave without it."

"Got that right." I said. "You don't know how happy I am right now. I thought it was gone forever." He kind of laughed and gave me another hug. I looked up at him and smiled and then down at my iPod. _Everything worked out._

Just then, I saw Daryl looking at me with a small smile on his face. I toned down my happiness but smiled back at him.

 _Everything is not worked out…but it will in time…_


	13. Kill The Bottle

It's been about three months and everything has been going pretty good. We found this huge house right next to a lake! Everyone fits here. No one had to share a room with someone they didn't want to. My dad had Judith in his room so that meant I got my own room! I was pretty excited about that. Not that I wanted to be away from the others, but living in a house with eleven other people…you want to have your own space. Believe me. The other thing that I liked was that Daryl's room was right across from mine. It seems like he always makes sure he's close to me. I like that.

I was sitting down by the water with the water pump trying to get us some drinking water. We purify it by boiling it before we drink it. I heard footsteps just then and looked over. I saw Daryl was walking over to me. He had kind of a smirk and I knew what he was about to do and gave him a small smile back. Once he got close enough, he pretended like he was going to push me in the water. I let out a little laugh and went back to my water.

Daryl and I had gotten even closer over time. We were always around each other; whenever he wanted to go on a run, he always asked me if I wanted to go and vice versa. If I wanted to go on a run, he was the first one I asked to accompany me. We always sat together too. I enjoyed being with him. However, there wasn't much we could do with everyone else always around. Daryl didn't make any kind of move to do anything anyway. The thought made me sad. There were times I would wake up in the middle of the night and just feel lonely or just when I couldn't sleep that I wanted to snuck into his room and get in bed with him. Just the thought warms me up inside. I hate ignoring our feelings. It's not right. I want to be with him so bad. I wonder how long it's going to be that we finally get over ourselves and…

"Abby?" Rosita brought me out of my thoughts. "How's it going with the water?"

"Oh, my bad." I said. "I'm almost done. I was kind of daydreaming." I let out a small laugh. I carried the buckle inside. "Water's here!" I announced.

* * *

A little while later, everyone was kind of just sitting around talking and chilling. I watched Maggie and Glenn together, they were such a cute couple. At the same time, though, it made me sad. I want that so bad. I want to be with Daryl.

"Everything okay?" My dad asked me bringing me out of my thoughts. I must have shown my sadness without meaning to.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I finally said and nodded. "Why?"

"Well, you just got kinda quiet." He answered. He put his arm around me. I noticed a few of the other were looking over, including Daryl. It made me uncomfortable because I don't want them to worry about me. I pretended to be fine.

"I'm fine." I forced a smile. "I must have just zoned out for a minute." I let out a small laugh. The others seemed to go back to their conversations. Michonne said something that actually made my dad chuckle. He doesn't do much of that anymore. I was surprised. That's when I realized that the two of them have gotten closer. I looked down and then around and at Glenn and Maggie again. Then, I saw Abraham and Rosita too. I was really feeling that. I stared at the floor and didn't pay attention to anyone else.

I looked up at some point and saw Daryl staring at me. He had clear concern on his face. I don't want him worrying about me either. "I'll be right back." I said to my dad. I got up and headed to my room. I needed to get away from everyone. I closed my door and then sat on the floor with my back against the bed. I just stayed in there for a while feeling sorry for myself.

Just then, I remembered about the bottle of rum I had. I pulled it out from under the bed and stared at the label. _Bacardi 151. I used to have some fun with shit._ I found this the other day and hid it from everyone else. I wanted it just for myself. I finally opened the cap and just took a sip when I heard a knock at the door. My eyes widened and I immediately started screwing the cap back on. "Just a second!" I said. I shoved the bottle back under the bed and then sat down on the bed. "Okay." I called.

The door slowly opened, it was Daryl. "What are ya doin'?"

I shrugged. "Nothin'."

"Why'd ya come in here?"

"Uh…I just have a headache." I lied.

"Oh." He said. He looked like he was thinking. "Ya want me to get ya somethin'?"

I smiled. _He's so sweet._ "No." I shook my head. "It's not bad right now. I'm just gonna lay down for a bit." I nodded and laid back on the bed.

He nodded. Then, he just stood there for a minute. "Okay. Well," he started to back up into the hall," I guess I'm gonna head back to—

"No. Stay." I said to him.

"…what?"

"You can keep me company." I smiled. He looked like he was thinking. "Please." I looked at him with my big eyes.

"Uh…alright." He cleared his throat. He came in and sat down in the chair. I could tell he was a little uncomfortable, which made me want to laugh. He was looking around. "So…what now?"

I just sat there smiling at him for a minute. "I have an idea." I got up off the bed and closed the door. Daryl's eyes widened. I almost laughed again but instead I got the alcohol out from under the bed and handed it to him. "Let's have a party of our own." I smiled.

"Uh…wait. I thought ya had a headache?" He said stupidly.

I looked at him and let out a small laugh. "Pretty sure I can handle it."

"You drank this before?"

"Yeah, a few times…at high school parties." I admitted. I wanted to change the subject before he said anything. "Let's play a game." I suggested.

He stopped and looked at me. "What kinda game?"

I shrugged. "A drinking game maybe?" I sat on the floor. "How about would you rather?"

"What the hell is that?" He said roughly.

"Well, if I was starting, I would say, 'would you rather…always have it be hot or cold?' Something like that." I shrugged.

"Nah." He shook his head. "Let's play somethin' else."

I giggled. "It wasn't because of my stupid question, was it?" I smiled up at him. "Okay, well…what about never have I ever?"

"And what's that?" He sounded a little annoyed.

"Well, I say something I've never done and if you have done it, you drink and vice versa."

"Nah." He said again.

I sighed. "Come on, Daryl. You gotta pick something." I thought for a minute and got an idea. "Oh, what about two truths and a lie?"

He sighed. "What's that?"

"It's pretty self explanatory." I started. "You say three things about yourself, two are true, one's a lie and the other person has to guess the lie."

"Mmm…fine." He said with a sigh. "I'll play." He sat on the floor in front of me.

"Okay." I smiled. "Do you wanna start or do you want me to?"

"You start." He pointed at me.

"Okay, um…" It took me a minute to think of something. "Okay, so…my favorite color is blue, my middle name is Theresa and I've been to Virginia." I finished.

Daryl was chewing on the skin around his fingernail. "What am I supposed to do again?"

"You have to pick which one is the lie." I stated.

He took a breath. "…I'm gonna go with Virginia."

"Nope." I shook my head. "I've been there twice actually. I went on vacation with my friends." I smiled. "That means you have to take a drink."

He grabbed the bottle, took a gulp then swallowed. "Which one was it?"

"You can take another guess if you want? Only two left. I won't make you drink again if you don't want to."

"I don't know. Yer favorite color."

My eyes widened for a second and I smiled. "No. I can't believe you didn't get it." I let out a small laugh. "My middle name is Grace not Theresa."

"Damn. That sounded right." He said roughly. "And pretty."

I just looked at him. _Now I wish Theresa_ was _my middle name._ I smiled and looked down. "Okay, your turn."

He sighed. "I'on know." He shrugged. It took him a while to think of something. "I hate cats, I never finished high school and my house burned down when I was a kid."

My eyes widened. "Wow, um…I hope it's the last one but the way you said it I don't think it is." I looked at him. He didn't give anything away. "Um…I'm gonna go with you hate cats." I smirked.

"Yeah." He said.

I laughed. That means I don't have to drink. "I knew Daryl Dixon didn't hate animals." I smiled. "Now I gotta think again." I scratched my head. "Okay, I broke my ankle once…oh shit! I already told you that." I said wide-eyed and laughed.

"Uh ha." Daryl teased. "You should have to take a drank fer that."

"Alright." I shrugged. I tipped the bottle and took a sip. "So, anyway…I can skateboard, I played the lead role in a school play once and I sang a solo my senior year of high school."

"Mm…I'm gonna say the school play one."

I just stared at him. "No, uh…I thought you'd be able to get that immediately because…I didn't make it to my senior year because of the turn." I raised my eyebrows. He made a noise then looked down. "That's okay, but…you still have to take a drink." I smiled. He grabbed the bottle and took a gulp. "Your turn again."

"I cain't thank 'a no more." He sighed. He looked like he was thinking. "…I got lost in the woods once, I never been on vacation and I hate apples."

I almost laughed. "You don't get lost! You're a tracker! It's definitely that one." I smirked. He looked at me and shook his head. "What?" My mouth gaped open. He nodded. "When was this?"

"When I was kid." He looked at me sideways.

"Oh, well…you were a kid, that's a little different." I let it go.

"Ay, you forgettin' somethin'?" He said to me. I just looked at him stupidly. "Take a drank." He handed me the bottle.

"Oh." I laughed. I took a drink. "So, is it that you hate apples?" I joked.

"Yeah." He answered seriously.

"Are you serious?" I laughed. " _I_ hate apples!"

"Yup. I love apples." He said.

"I didn't know that." I smiled. _I'll have to remember that._ I thought. "So…"

* * *

Daryl and I played for a pretty long time. The bottle was almost empty. I know I said I wanted it for myself but Daryl is the one person I don't mind sharing with. Once Daryl took his turn, I got up off the floor and laid on my bed. "What's 'a matter?" He asked me. "You feelin' sick?"

"No." I said. "I just don't wanna play anymore."

"Alright." He shrugged and repositioned himself. "We killed that bottle." He gestured towards it.

"No, but almost." I suddenly grabbed it and started going into it.

"Abby." Daryl said.

I grimaced then hissed at the taste. "I'm finishing this whole thing."

"You don't have to do that." He shook his head.

"I want to." I shrugged and starting drinking again.

"Abby, yer gonna get sick." Daryl warned me. "Ya didn't eat much."

I ignored him and just kept drinking. I finished the bottle and slammed it down. "Ah." I said and grimaced. "I'm good." I laid back.

"You shouldn't drank like that." He said. "I shouldn't 'a let ya."

I just stared at him. "I'm glad you came in."

"Uh…yeah." He looked at me then away. "What the hell time is it?"

"Really late. I think everyone else is in bed." I laughed. "You hungry?" I sat up quickly. "Let's go eat some leftovers."

"Alright." Daryl smirked.

* * *

Daryl and I went downstairs into the kitchen and began going through the food trying to be as quiet as possible. It was pretty difficult though. Why is it that it's so much harder to be quiet when you are really trying to be? I guess it's just one of those things in life that you don't get an answer to. Kind of like why your pets follow you into the bathroom? I never understood that. I accidentally dropped a box of crackers on the floor. I giggled. "Shh." Daryl said to me.

"Let's eat a full course meal." I laughed. Daryl snorted, then laughed too. "Oh my God, you actually laughed. We should get drunk more often."

"I ain't lettin' ya become an alcoholic." He said jokingly.

"You ain't lettin' me do nothin'!" I snapped. "Oh shit." I put my hand over my mouth and giggled because I realized how loud I just was.

"You better keep yer voice down." He raised his eyebrows. "Ya wanna wake everyone up?"

"I'm sorry. It's hard." I laughed. I ate some more of our snacks. "I'm drunk." I laughed again. Daryl laughed a little as well. "I wish we had cheese." I said randomly.

He snorted. "Yeah, I wish we had a lot 'a thangs."

I looked at him while I ate the last cracker, then wrinkled the bag up and threw into the trash across the room. "Ohh!" I said as it went in. I forgot about being loud again and covered my mouth. Daryl smacked my ass hard almost causing me to squeal.

"Quit bein' loud." He scolded.

"Ohh." I put my hands back. I gave him a lascivious look. I laughed after that. He raised his eyebrows at me but then he also laughed.

I turned away and was looking around. I opened the pantry and saw fishing rods leaning against the wall. _That's an odd place to put them._ "Did you know these were here?" I asked Daryl.

He walked to where I was. "No, I didn't."

"Me either. I just saw them now." I suddenly got a great idea. "Hey, we should go fishing tomorrow." I said excitedly.

"You ain't gonna wanna do nothin' tomorra." Daryl said with raised eyebrows.

I gave him a weird look. "Why's that?"

"Cuz yer gonna be hungover."

I scoffed. "No, I won't."

"Oh, yes ya will."

"I will bet you anything in the world that I'm not." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You'll see." He walked away a little.

"No, you will." I pointed at him. He snorted. "Well…can we though?"

"What?" He looked at me.

"Go fishing tomorrow?" I put my hands out. We were just talking about it.

"Yeah, sure." He finally said. "If you ain't hungover, which yer gonna be, then we can go fishin'."

"Cool." I said. "And…I won't be."

He was giving me an almost annoyed look. "Alright. We should probably get to bed. It's late."

"Yeah." I sighed. "Well, it was nice getting drunk with you." I smirked. "We'll have to do it again sometime."

"Yeah." He let out a small laugh.

I caught him off guard by hugging him. "Night, Daryl."

He hugged me back though. "Yeah, night, sweetheart." He rubbed my back a little. I let go of him and gave him a quick smile before going up to my room. I passed out faster than I think I ever have.

* * *

I woke up at some point through the night, I was shaking and felt sick to my stomach like I was going to puke. _Oh no! I have to win this bet I made with Daryl! I made too much of a big deal about not getting sick._ I got up and grabbed my trash can. There was no way, I HAD to throw up. I heaved in the can. I threw up so much food and alcohol, it was like Niagara Falls. At least I got it all out though. Now I won't be sick in the morning. I'm gonna take some Aleve just so I won't get a headache.

I got up and went into the bathroom where we keep medicine and stuff and grabbed two pills. I ran into Carl on my way back to bed. "Hey, kid." I nudged him. "What are ya doin'?"

"Gotta pee." He said rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Good luck." I said to him as he headed downstairs. Toilets and stuff don't work, obviously, so we have to go outside to go to the bathroom. I headed back into my room, took the two Aleve with a bottle of water on the bedside table then went back to sleep. I fell back asleep pretty quickly, to my surprise.

* * *

When I woke up next, it was light outside so I knew it was morning and time to get up. The good thing is, I didn't feel sick at all and I couldn't wait to rub it in Daryl's face. I did what I usually do, change my clothes, fix my hair, brush my teeth the best I could, etc. When I was completely done, I decided to go join the others. I hopped down the stairs and into the dining room where I heard voices. I slowed down when I heard Daryl, he was talking about me. I stood back to listen for a minute.

"She won't be up anytime soon." He said. "We was drankin' last night and she'll probably be sick in bed all day." He said. Someone laughed.

"Hm." I said lowly. I laughed inside. I jumped into the room and sang, "I'M FINE!" I stretched out the word 'fine.' Everyone in the room laughed. I did too. I headed back in the kitchen to see what there was to eat. Daryl followed me. I looked right him. "Told ya I wasn't gonna be hungover." I teased.

"Oh yeah?" He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, they were almost gone when he does that. "If yer so fine, then why don't ya have some breakfast?" He handed me a plate with a piece of meat on it. It looked bloody still. I felt a sickening feeling in my stomach out of nowhere.

"What is that?" I asked looking at it.

"Got up early. Got us some squirrel." He smirked. "Saved this fer ya."

"You lie." I smiled at him. "You're the one that likes 'em bloody, that's your piece." I pointed.

"Alright." He nodded. "Yer right, it was mine. But…I'm willing to share it with ya. I mean…ya gotta be hungry?"

I looked up at him. _I know exactly what he's trying to do! Well, he won't win!_ "Okay." I nodded. "I _am_ starving." I looked down at the bloody meat and swallowed. "Well, here goes." I took a deep breath before taking a bite. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting but it was still pretty gross with the extra blood. I couldn't let him know though. "Mmm." I gave him a thumbs up. "So good. Thanks for sharing."

He smirked at me. "Alright. You don't gotta eat that." He took the plate. "I was just kiddin'."

I nodded. "Thank you. For real this time." I let out a small laugh. "So, are we still going fishing?"

He turned to me. "Actually…Glenn and a few others wanted to go on a run and I already told them I'd go. We're leaving around noon."

"Oh." My shoulders slumped. "That's okay." I was a little disappointed though. "Maybe someone else will go with me. Oh, maybe my brother will wanna go." I walked into the other room. "Hey, I'm going fishing." I announced. "Anyone wanna go with me?"

"I'll go." Carl said immediately. I smiled. I knew he would want to. "Can I?"

"Yeah, man. Come on." I said. We grabbed our gear and headed out.

* * *

Carl and I were fishing for a while in our boat on the lake. We weren't having much luck catching anything. _Damn. I thought I'd be good at this._ I was disappointed and getting discouraged. I looked towards the house and realized I never saw the others leave. _I wonder what happened to Daryl's run?_ "If we don't catch anything soon, I'm calling it." I said.

"Yeah, I thought for sure we'd at least get something." Carl said disappointed.

I gave him a look. "Maybe we'll have better luck next time." I gently slapped his arm. I realized just then that I haven't spent a lot of time with my brother lately. We don't as much as we used to and I kind of missed that. I should change that. "Hey, thanks for coming with me though." I smiled at him. I started rowing the boat a little closer to shore.

"It's no problem. I wanted to go." He shrugged. I saw him get up and look inside a little tool box that was already on the boat. "Holy shit!" He said. "A grenade!"

"Bullshit." I said and stopped rowing.

"Seriously, look!" He held it up.

My eyes widened. "Carl, put it down." I said immediately. "We'll give to dad."

"Yeah, you're right." He was about to put it back when he stood back up. "Hey, we should use it to kill the fish!" He said excitedly. "I bet we'd get a whole lot!"

"Quit being stupid." I scolded. "Put it back now."

He gave me an annoyed look. "You know what? No. You always boss me around now like you're my mom or something. I'm doing what I want for once. I'm doing this."

"Carl!" I yelled. I grabbed the grenade but he held onto it. "Let go!" I yelled at him.

"No, you let go!" He yelled back. One of us accidentally pulled the pin. My eyes widened.

"Oh shit!" I let go. "Carl, throw it, hurry!" He dropped it not thinking. "Oh my God! Get off the boat!" I yelled. "Get off the boat now!" I jumped into the water. Carl stumbled and fell when I jumped off the boat. I swam a little then looked back. He was still in the boat. "Carl! Get off the boat!" I screamed. "HURRY!"

Just when he was about to jump off, the explosion happened. I quickly went under water and swam a little ways away. I emerged and saw nothing. "Abby! Carl!" I heard my dad yell. I looked and he was outside alone with everyone else. I quickly swam to them. Daryl and my dad helped me out of the water. I sat there out of breath. "What happened? Where's Carl?" My dad was frantic. I tried to speak but I couldn't. "Where's Carl?" He said again. "Abby, what did you do?" My dad was screaming. He was close to losing it. I sat there wide-eyed not talking to anyone. I couldn't. I just stared at the smoke. My dad continued yelling stuff at me.

"Rick, stop, man." Daryl said. "She's in shock." He was rubbing my back. Carol was suddenly there and she put her arms around me. They were both comforting me. I saw my dad collapse onto the ground crying. I felt completely out of it and everyone was staring at me. I knew what happened, though, and so did everyone else.

Carl is dead.

* * *

 **Hello everyone! :D Please review. And yes, I got the idea for this from This Is Us.**


	14. FREEZING

"Abby?" My dad gently shook me. "Wake up."

"Huh?" I said confused and yawned.

"Come on. Get up." He told me. "Come on out here."

I sat up in my bed rubbing the sleep from my eyes. He left when he saw that I was up. _Wonder what he wants? That was kind of weird._ I shrugged and hopped out of bed. I sleep in my underwear and a t-shirt so I had to get dressed before I headed out there.

Once that was all taken care of, I walked out of my room while rubbing my eyes. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I almost jumped. I looked up wide-eyed. My dad, Michonne and Judith were sitting at the table with a cake, all smiling.

I let out a nervous laugh. "What? It's not my birthday." I walked closer to them.

"Your birthday's in the Fall, isn't it?" My dad asked me.

"Well, yeah, but—

"Well, it's Fall." He said then smiled.

I smiled back at him. "Alright. Thanks everyone." Judith jumped up and gave me a hug. "Hey, kid." I held her.

"Have cake!" She said once I put her down. She handed me a piece on a plate.

"Oh, cake for breakfast." I laughed. My dad laughed too.

"So, twenty-two, huh?" Michonne said to me. "Feel any different?"

I almost rolled my eyes. I hate when people ask you that. It's always someone older than you, too, that asks it! I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to mess with my dad. "Well, I think my tits got a little bigger." I shrugged. "What do you think, dad? Think they got any bigger?" I looked down at them.

"That is a question I will never answer." He said without looking at me. Michonne and I laughed. I love making my dad uncomfortable.

"Are we still going to that cottage today?" I asked my dad. A few days ago, we were out and found this place that had these nice little cottages. I said it would be a fun idea if we all got together and stayed there for a few days. Since, we hardly see each other anymore.

"That's the plan." My dad said.

"Is everyone still going?" I asked while putting a piece of cake in my mouth.

"Yeah, the only thing is…Glenn and Maggie don't want to go with little Hershel being sick."

"Oh." I said sadly. "Well, we could always go another time when he's feeling better. We don't have to go now."

"No, they told us to just go without them." My dad said. "To be honest, I don't think they want to go."

I gave him a weird look. They have been like that lately, distant. But…they are happy so I guess I can't say anything. I shrugged. "Their loss." I looked at my dad more closely. "What about Daryl?" That was who I really wanted to know about.

"As far as I know, yeah."

"Good." I said. I finished my cake and threw the paper plate away. "I'm gonna go pack then."

"You should have done that already." Michonne said to me.

"Well, I'm doing it now." I looked back. "And I don't have a lot to take." I headed back into my room.

So…things have been pretty good. The only thing is how distant everyone is after we got to this place. We kept traveling north and eventually we found a small community. It's like a trailer park. It actually used to be a campground called Pine Lane. It's really nice. Plus, we have walls. It's safe here.

I have been happy for the most part, considering what happened and what I went through afterwards. After my little brother…I was just…I don't know. I went into a deep deep depression for a LONG time. It was a struggle to just get out of bed. And there was this awkwardness between my dad and I for a while. Mainly because it took me a while to be able to tell them what really happened. My dad and I eventually came around and I started doing better maybe like a year ago. So, yeah…things have been better.

* * *

My dad, Michonne, Judith and I rode over to the cottage where we were going to stay for a few days. It will sort of be like a little vacation for us and so we can all get together.

We were the first ones there, which is good because we can open up the place. Plus, I can get first dibs on the room I want. _Hehe._ There was a room in the back that was like a family room but it was almost like a screened in porch. It was pretty cool. In that room was a small bedroom. "Oh, I'm so picking this room." I said looking around. It was small but really nice. I put my bag on the bed so no one else could claim it then went back out to the others.

My dad and Michonne were cleaning up a little and putting away some of the food items we brought. Judith was sitting on the couch hopping around. I spotted a fireplace. "Oh, I wanna make a fire." I said.

"We have to chop some wood first." My dad said.

My shoulders slumped. _I ain't choppin' wood._ I thought. I heard a noise outside just then and looked out the window. I perked up as I saw Daryl getting out of a car. "Daryl's here." I called. Shortly after that, Carol and her man arrived too. Everyone is here. I smiled inside.

* * *

So later on, we were all sitting around talking and deciding what to do. I made a nice fire in the fireplace after Daryl chopped some wood. I watched him from the window. He was looking sexy as hell.

I just got myself a drink and sat back down next to Daryl and tried to get comfy. "You made a nice fire." He told me.

"Thanks." I said. There was a little bit of awkwardness between us because it's been a while since we really hung out.

"Abby!" Judith ran over to me. "When are we gonna make the jack o'lanterns?" She whined.

"Judy, we will make them tonight." I said a little annoyed. She gave me a disappointed look. "We have plenty of time. Just relax." I told her. She walked away with her head down. I laughed and took a sip of my drink.

"What was that about?" Daryl asked me.

I took a second to swallow before answering him. "I brought some pumpkins so we can make jack o'lanterns and she's real anxious, I guess." I rolled my eyes and laughed. Daryl let out a laugh too.

It got later, we ate dinner and were now just chilling like before. We finally brought the alcohol out. That's what I have been waiting for. I walked into the other room to get myself a drink. My dad and Michonne were sitting at the table. Daryl was standing in the hallway. "Judy, won't stop talking about the pumpkins." My dad said with a laugh. "When are you planning on doing that?"

I grabbed a cup and put ice in it, then started filling it with rum. "Uh…I don't know." I shrugged. "Some time later ton—

"What, are you having rum on the rocks?" My dad teased.

"Yeah." I said and held up my cup. I had it more than halfway filled with rum, then I filled the rest with Coke. I took a big gulp.

"Abby." My dad kind of scolded. I just smiled and walked back into the other room. He sighed.

"Come on, Rick." Daryl said. "Abby, can handle herself. Ain't that right?" He asked me.

"I wouldn't if I couldn't." I laughed.

* * *

Now that it was dark out and there was nothing else to do, I decided it was a good time to carve the pumpkins. We were in the screened in room watching horror movies. Of course, we had to put on age appropriate while Judith was still up. "Which one do you want?" I asked my sister who was practically jumping up and down.

"The shorter, rounder one!" She said excitedly.

"Of course." I said. "I get the deformed one." She laughed. I picked it up and began cutting the top off.

"I wanna do it!" Judith yelled.

"No, I'm gonna do this part. You design it, I cut it." I said and went back to the cutting. She pouted. Once, I got the top off, I began gutting the pumpkin.

"Ew." Judith said. "I don't wanna do that part."

"Of course you don't. I get the dirty part." I said. Everyone laughed.

"Abby, aren't you cold?" My dad asked me.

I had to take my hoodie off to carve the pumpkin. "Yeah, freezing, but…my sleeves will get in the way." I said.

The gutting part took a while. I collected all the shit in a plastic bag. "Okay." I sighed and wiped my forehead with the back of my wrist because my hands were dirty. I handed her the marker. "Draw however you want it to look."

She smiled and took the marker. "I'm gonna make an ugly face!" She said. "It'll look like you." She pointed at me and giggled.

"Yeah, it'll look like me." I raised my eyebrows. I looked at Daryl who was sitting by himself on the couch that was back against the wall. He smiled at me. I smiled back and shook my head. "Kids."

Just then, Judith reached for the knife. "You done?" I asked her.

"Uh huh." She nodded. "Just have to cut it out now." She held the knife to the pumpkin.

"Whoa." I grabbed it off of her. "What did I tell you? _I_ do the cutting." I said seriously.

"I wanna do it!" She jumped up and down and pouted. "I want to!"

"Judith." My dad scolded. "Let Abby do it." Judith pouted some more. "Listen to your sister." He told her again. _Well, finally._ I thought. I turned back to the pumpkin and almost laughed when I looked at it. _This is gonna be bad._

I finished my sister's pumpkin and then moved on to mine. I was just about to start cutting the top off when I heard, "you need help with that?" I looked over at Daryl who asked me that.

I gave him a weird look. "Uh…no." I let out a laugh. Then, went back to my pumpkin. I finished gutting it and put everything into the bag. That can go in the garbage now. "Pumpkin goo, anyone?" I smiled and asked around if anyone wanted some. They all laughed and said no when I offered it.

"Actually, Abby," Carol started, "keep the seeds. I could cook them up."

"Alright." I sat the bag on the kitchen counter. Then, went back in with everyone else. "Time to make you a face." I said to my pumpkin. I drew an evil looking face, close to Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas when he gets angry. I hope it turns out right.

I finished carving and looked at it. It was great! I sat it on the floor next to my sister's. "Let me see." My dad said. He looked at it from his seat. "Oh, that's nice. Very nice, Abigail." He said.

"It's cool." Carol said with a smile.

"She's an artist." Mark said. He's Carol's husband.

"Thanks." I said. "It didn't turn out how I wanted, but it's alright." I lied. It turned out exactly how I wanted. _Hehe._ "Aw, man." I said. "I should have looked for those little round candles before we came over. I didn't even think of that." I scolded myself.

"Aw, yeah." Michonne said. "I didn't either." I was disappointed.

"We'll go on a run tomorra and we can look fer some then, alright?" Daryl nodded at me. I was surprised at first. I just nodded back and smiled.

"Abby's is better than mine." Judith pouted.

"Oh Judith." My dad said.

"Yours is the greatest." I said to her.

"No, it's not! Look at it!" She pointed. "It looks like someone dropped it on the ground and then got run over with a car." She said sadly. "It's cuz you did it!" She yelled at me. "You made mine look bad on purpose and yours great!"

I looked at my dad. He gave me a sympathetic smile and shrugged. "Not even gonna say anything to that." I sighed. I realized the movie ended. "What do you guys want to watch now?"

"Emily Rose." Michonne said.

I smiled at her. "You like that movie?"

"Yeah, it's great." She laughed.

"Me too." I nodded while putting the disc in. "One of the best horror movies I've seen." After the movie started, I went back to sit next to Daryl on the couch. I immediately put my hoodie back on. "Children can be cruel." I glanced at him. He didn't say anything. "I'm never having kids." I looked around.

"Alright, Judy, time for bed." My dad told her. "You want Abby to take you?" I gave him a look. He smiled. _Why would he do that?_

"No! I want you!" She shouted and jumped up. "I never want Abby again!"

"Hey." My dad scolded her, he still laughed though. He picked her up and took her into one of the bedrooms.

I glanced at Daryl again with raised eyebrows. "I see what ya mean." He said and laughed.

"Yeah, man." I said. I realized that I couldn't see the movie at all from where I was sitting because the table was blocking it. I didn't really care though. I have seen that movie tons of times before. I also realized how cold it was. I shivered and rubbed my arms. Everybody else had blankets and snuggle buddies.

"What's 'a matter. You cold?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah, freezing." I shivered. He put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. _Oh okay._ I let out a small laugh and leaned more into him. It was nice.

However, as the night went on, I couldn't ignore the cold anymore. I shivering terribly. Daryl noticed. "Hey." He said to everyone. "When this movie's over, let's move into the other room."

"Yeah." My dad said. "It's too cold out here."

"Thank God." Carol said and laughed. "I thought I was the only one."

* * *

We finally merged into the other room when that movie was over. I was thankful. Now we were all warm and comfy watching Halloween. The kid in the movie was talking about what they were going to do next and reminded me of my sister. "Sounds like Judy." I said. The others laughed. There was a brief pause. "I wanted to be an actress." I said out of nowhere.

"Thought you wanted to be a tattoo artist?" My dad asked me.

"I did want to be a tattoo artist." I replied. "But I would have definitely been an actress if I got the chance."

"Hm." Daryl said. "Well, that ain't happenin' now."

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. "I guess I'll just have to do porn." I just said it to mess with my dad. I saw him look at me out of the side of my eye but I didn't look at him. I couldn't hide my smirk.

"Over my dead body!" My dad finally said. I busted out laughing. Everyone else laughed too. I smiled to myself. _Just like old times again._ I thought.

* * *

The movie just ended. I saw Mark take his arm from around Carol and stretch, they shared a look. "Alright, we're gonna go to bed." She told everyone.

"What? But I was gonna put Halloween part two on." I said.

"That's alright." She said. "We're turning in."

"Okay." I said. That leaves my dad, Michonne, Daryl and I. "Are you guys down to watch one more movie?"

"Yeah, if we don't fall asleep in the middle of it." My dad said. I changed discs and started the new movie.

About twenty minutes in, I looked over and my dad is asleep. _Figures._ I rolled my eyes.

A little later into the movie, I commented on something that happened. This dude got killed by a car hitting him. "I like how out of all the people that could have been, it was Ben Tramer." I said. They were talking about him in the first movie. Michonne laughed and then my dad laughed in his sleep. "What the hell?" I pointed at him. "Are you asleep or not?" I asked him. He didn't answer. "Dumbass." I laughed. "We should color on him."

Michonne laughed really hard but tried to be quiet. "Don't you dare."

"I wouldn't do that." We both laughed. My dad laughed again. "Does he know we're laughing at him?" We all laughed this time.

When it got farther into the movie, Michonne fell asleep as well. I looked at Daryl, he was wide awake like me. "Lame." I pointed at them. Daryl just snorted.

Just then, something loud happened in the movie that woke both of them up. I almost laughed at how stupid my dad looked. "Alright, I'm goin' to bed." He said getting up.

"You been in bed." I said to him. He laughed.

"You comin'?" He asked Michonne.

"Yeah, I'll be in in a minute." She said.

"Alright." He said then turned to me. "Hey." He bent over to give me a kiss.

"Night, daddy." We kissed goodnight.

"Night, baby." He said. "Don't stay up all night."

"I'm not." I said annoyed. "I'm going to bed as soon as this is over." My dad and Michonne went in their room with Judith. I turned to Daryl. "Now it's just me and you."

"Yup." He said.

"The cool people." I smirked. He snorted, then I laughed. There was a brief pause. "Are we still going on that run tomorrow?" I asked him. He nodded. "What time were you trying to leave?"

"Don't matter." He shook his head. "Noon maybe?"

"Alright." I shrugged, then went back to the movie. We stayed pretty quiet until the movie was over. I looked at him and stretched. "You going to bed?"

"Yeah, probably." He replied. I stopped because I realized that all the rooms were taken. My dad and Michonne had the front room because there's a bed and bunkbeds in it, so Judith could stay with them. Carol and Mark had the master bedroom and I claimed the only other room. That meant Daryl would have to sleep on the couch. Maybe I will see if he wants the bed and I will take the couch? "You sleepin' in 'at room?" He pointed. He read my thoughts before I could say them.

"Uh…yeah, I was going to, but you can have it if you want? I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

"Nah, that's alright." He waved. "I'll sleep on the couch in there."

I blinked a few times. "Well…why wouldn't you just sleep on this couch in here? Won't you be cold in the other room?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. I don't get cold." He said. "There's a heater anyway."

I let out a laugh. "Alright, tough guy." I laughed.

* * *

I went in my room after that. I fell asleep, surprisingly fast, probably because I was drinking. However, I woke up at some point through the night. That bedroom sure was cold. I shivered. I had three blankets on and I was still freezing. I tried to just ignore it and go back to sleep, but it was almost impossible. "I can't do this." I said out loud.

I got up and quietly opened the door. Daryl was asleep on the couch out there. I have to try to be as quiet as possible so I don't wake him up. I started looking around for any extra blankets. I wasn't finding any.

"What's 'a matter?" I heard Daryl's rough voice say.

 _Shit. I must have woke him up._ "Uh…nothing." I said. "I'm just looking for an extra blanket."

"You cold?"

I sighed. "Yes." I admitted. "That room is freezing."

"Well, how 'bout we switch?" He offered. "I'll take that room and you can sleep here? It's warmer out here with the heater."

"Yeah, but…what about you? It's really cold in there." I raised my eyebrows.

He didn't answer right away, he got up and stepped inside that room. "Shit. Yer right. It's like a damn icebox in there."

"Yeah, man." I said. "I wasn't kidding."

"Well…here." He said. "You sleep on the couch." He gestured.

"But what about you—

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He reassured me.

"Well, I do worry because it's cold as hell. And…you're still my bae, remember?" I smirked.

"Yeah, yeah." He said. "Lay down on the damn couch." I laughed but did what he said. He sat at the opposite end as me. He helped cover me with the blanket. _He's so nice._ I smiled. "Better?" He asked.

"Much." I turned over. Daryl is so nice and selfless. He always puts everyone else before himself, especially me, it seems. I gasped just then because I had a thought. _I'm his before anyone else too!_ That thought made me feel all nice and warm inside. I looked back up. "Thanks, Daryl." I smiled at him.

* * *

Movement woke me up at some point and I realized that Daryl moved and was now laying next to me on the couch. I gasped inside. I can't believe he did that. _Poor Daryl! He must have been uncomfortable sitting there like that._ The thought made me feel bad. I scooted as close to the back of the couch as I could giving him more room. "You good?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I said quietly. He readjusted himself and put his arm around me. I felt this feeling run through me that I never felt before. It was fantastic. I smiled to myself and tried to go back to sleep. It wasn't hard. I was more comfortable than I ever have been before in my life.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! I know I haven't updated in a while! Sorry about that! Hope you liked this chapter! And thank you all for your reviews, favs and follows! It really means so much to me! I would really appreciate it if you took the time to review this chapter and tell me how I'm doing so far :) Thanks! Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!**


	15. Take Your Best Shot

When I woke up next, it was morning…and Daryl was gone. Disappointment set in but quickly diminished. It wasn't super early but it didn't seem like anyone else was up yet. I decided to get up and make breakfast for everyone. We brought a box of pancake mix. I was always told I make good pancakes. Maybe Daryl will like them. I smiled to myself.

I headed into the kitchen and got started. It was difficult at first because everything was everywhere in that house, but I eventually found everything I needed.

I had the first batch done when the others slowly started coming out. "Good morning!" I said to them.

My dad laughed. "Morning, sweetheart." He kissed my temple.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning." Michonne said. "I thought you weren't a morning person?"

"I'm not." I shrugged. Daryl walked in from outside and I watched him. "I should be though."

We all sat at the table in the other room, because it was bigger, and ate breakfast. I realized Judith wasn't out here yet. "How can Judy still be sleeping?" I asked no one in particular. "She went to bed at like ten last night."

"I don't know." My dad said. "Why don't ya go get her up?" He smiled.

I looked at him and sighed heavily, but still did what he said. I stuck my head in her door. "Judy, you up?" I said loudly. She mumbled something. "We're gonna eat all your pancakes!" I teased her. I said it loudly so the others could hear.

"No!" She shouted.

"You better get up then! They're gonna be gone!" I laughed.

"No! No!" She sat up and ran out of the room. "No!" I had to laugh at how dramatic she was. When I walked back into the room, I could tell the others were laughing too.

* * *

"Here, lemme help ya with that" Daryl said and helped me put my jacket on.

I smiled. "Thank you."

"I hope you two aren't gonna be too long." My dad said. "The point of coming here was so we could all be together."

I pretended to be annoyed, but I really wasn't. "We'll be…three hours." I said.

"You better not be."

"Dad, you know how long we're out there sometimes." I said. "We'll be back as soon as we can." He gave me a look but didn't say anything after that. I turned to Daryl.

"We can take my car." He said. I nodded.

We just left the area and were now going across the causeway. I was looking out at the beautiful view of the water. "So nice." I said. "If we're not gone super long, I wanna go down on those rocks by the water."

"Why?" Daryl glanced at me.

"Cuz, it'll be nice." I looked down at the map. "Just keep going straight for a while."

"I thank I know where we're goin'." He replied. There was a brief pause. "Thanks fer breakfast." He said out of nowhere. "Them pancakes was good."

I smiled inside. "It was no problem." I shrugged. "So, you finally got to go on vacation. Sort of." I looked at him and smiled. He just looked at me. "You like it so far?"

"S'alright." He said.

"Just alright?" I questioned. "Maybe I need to get you drunk again." I laughed. "I had fun drinking with you. I remember that one night when we played two truths and a lie…" I trailed off because I remembered what happened the next day. I looked down.

Daryl noticed. "Speakin' 'a that…how ya doin'? Ya alright? Ya been okay?"

I shrugged. "I'm better than I was before. It took me a while to get there, but…I'm there. I'm okay." I nodded.

He nodded back. "Good. I missed ya." He gave me a small smile. I smiled back.

There was a brief pause. "We should do the grocery store last." I said.

"Why's that?"

"Because we'll probably be in there the longest." I marked down on the map where we traveled so far.

* * *

"I wanna go in this thrift store up here." I said. "Maybe I can find some clothes or something for my sister."

"Alright." Daryl nodded. He parked the car near there.

I hopped out. There was a pet shop in front of us. It was called, _Wizard of Paws._ I gasped. "Oh my God." I walked towards it pulling out my iPod. "That is so cute!" I had to take a picture.

"What the hell you takin' pitchers for?" Daryl asked me. "I cain't believe ya even still have that thang."

I glanced at him. "Cuz." I finished what I was doing and put my iPod back in my pocket. "It's important. What if someone finds this iPod one day, when I'm gone?" I said seriously. "I want them to know where I came from and where I've been." I kind of laughed.

He snorted. "Alright."

"For real!" I said a little annoyed. "You don't care about that?"

"Never really thought about it." He shrugged. We started walking towards the thrift shop.

"Well…I do." I cleared my throat. "And…I will never not have my iPod. That stays with me until the day I die." I put my head up. "It's practically part of the family."

Daryl went in first with his crossbow up, I followed close behind. I checked around briefly to make sure it was clear. It was. Now we were just looking around. There were carriers by the door so I grabbed one so I didn't have to carry everything in my arms. I found a few clothing items for Judith. "I want to get her some shoes." I said. "Kids go through shoes like…" I shook my head.

"Pretty sure I saw a shoe store next door." Daryl said.

"Oh okay. Perfect." I said. "I won't waste my time looking in here at used shoes, I'll just get them new. Well…semi new." I let out a small laugh. Just then, I spotted a rack of earrings. I don't know why but I just started looking through them. There was a pair that really caught my eye. I gasped. "These are so nice." I looked at them. They were crosses. "I would have definitely worn these before." I looked over and saw Daryl looking at me, the look he was giving me made me rethink the earrings. My shoulders kind of slumped and I was brought back to the now. "But, uh…I guess that doesn't really matter anymore." I put the earrings back.

"No, it does." Daryl said. I looked at him again. I didn't believe him, he was probably just saying what he thought I wanted him to say. I think he could tell. "It does." He said more seriously this time, I guess to reassure me. "Take 'em." He said. He nodded at me, then walked away.

I looked back at the earrings. _They_ are _really nice._ I quickly put them on then met up with Daryl. "I'm ready when you are." I said. He nodded. We moved to the next store, which was the shoe store. We had to kill two walkers inside.

I found a few good pairs of shoes for my sister. That should be good for a while, kids grow out of things so fast. This should make my dad and Michonne happy. I absentmindedly looked around at the adult shoes. I saw a pair of Timberlands for women. I remember how I always wanted a pair. I decided to try them on for the hell of it. I slid off my old boots, that had rips, tears, stains and the sole was ripped. I looked down at the new boots on my feet. _Huh, just my size._ There was a price sticker on the bottom that said $159.99. My jaw dropped. "A hundred and sixty dollars for a pair of shoes?" I said in disbelief. "No wonder my mom never bought these for me." I'm keeping these shoes though. I walked over to where Daryl was. "If you're ready, we can go." I said.

"I ain't lookin' at nothin'." He said. I laughed. I left the store first. I ran everything we found so far back to the car, then ran back. "Ya changed yer shoes?" He asked me.

I looked down at my feet. "Oh, you noticed?" I said to sound corny.

He snorted. "Yeah." He raised his eyebrows. "So, where to next?"

"Let's go to that discount place right there." I pointed. "Maybe we can find something interesting in there? Some more movies to watch tonight?" I laughed.

"Yeah. Let's not forget what we came here for and find those damn candles." Daryl said roughly.

"Oh shit." I said. "I almost did forget about those. Good thing you said something." We went on to the next store. I found the candles I needed, plus, I was able to find a few more clothing items for Judith, I even found some for myself and I got a couple more movies. We weren't in there for very long. "Alright, let's check out this grocery store now." I said walking over.

"How are we on time?" Daryl asked me.

"Um…" I pulled my iPod out and checked the time. "It's been a little over an hour."

He nodded. "Alright."

Daryl and I pounded on the glass windows in the front of the store to see if any walkers were inside. A few of them appeared at the window. We waited a few minutes before going inside to see if anymore showed up. "Looks like just them." Daryl said. "Ya ready?"

"Yup." I had my knife, I wasn't going to waste the bullets in my gun. We took care of them quickly, then began looking around. There was little food left, and what was there was probably old and rotten. "We shouldn't be in here too long." I said.

I was able to find some food items. I didn't know how Daryl was doing because he wasn't around me. And…I couldn't believe what I found…boxes of jell-o! I can't wait to make them for Daryl. It's going to be so funny!

I walked around to the back and found the pharmacy. "Daryl, found the pharmacy." I called.

"Alright. Good." He called from somewhere.

I sat my bag on the counter, then slid up the door and was met with several walkers inside. They grabbed onto me and had one of my arms and my bag. "Oh shit!" I yelled. I was struggling very badly trying to pull myself off of them. "Daryl!" I yelled. "Daryl, help!" He was there in a second. He cut one of their arms with his knife freeing my arm, then I was able to take care of the other. They still had my bag.

"Just let go!" He told me.

"No, I can't!" I said. I killed one of them, then Daryl killed more until I was free. I fell back onto the floor. Daryl jumped up on the counter and pulled the door back down, he kicked a walker back before closing it. He stood there breathing heavily, then helped me up.

"Ya alright?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I looked at my arms. _Good thing I was covered up._

"Why didn't ya just let go?" He said roughly. He brought his face close to mine. "What coulda been so important in 'nere?"

"Jell-o." I stated. I kissed the bridge of his nose quickly, then laughed as I was walking away.

* * *

We were now back in the car and leaving the shopping center. I was looking through the pictures I took today. "That was a close call back there." Daryl said. "Maybe we should just head back now."

I gave him a look. "I want to go down on the rocks." I said. "And there's a few more stores I wanted to check out that are in the opposite direction of the cottage."

He glanced at me briefly. "There's tomorra, ya know?"

"Never put off to tomorrow what you can do today." I said. "My pap always used to say that."

Daryl sighed. "Alright."

We got back to the causeway, I had Daryl pull over so we could go down onto the rocks and look out at the water for a bit.

I climbed down the best I could and then sat on a rock. I took a few pictures. "You and those pitchers again." He shook his head, then sat down next to me. I gave him an annoyed look, then took a picture of him. I laughed. "Don't." He said.

"Why?" I raised my eyebrows. "Is Daryl Dixon camera shy?" I teased him. I took more photos.

"Don't, Abigail." He said. "I'm warnin' ya."

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do?" I looked at him wide-eyed and laughed.

"Imma throw that damn thang in the water!" He said.

"And then you'll be in there looking for it." I said, then laughed. "Will you please take a picture of me with the water in the background?" I handed him my iPod.

He gave me a look, then grabbed my device. "Since ya asked so nicely." He said and cleared his throat. He looked down at the iPod. "How the hell do I do this?"

"Just tap the white circle on the screen." I told him. I got in my position.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded. "I thank I got it." He handed it to me.

I looked at it. "Yeah." I smiled at him. "Thanks." I got an idea just then. "We should take one together." I said happily.

"Nah." He said.

"Please." I said sadly. "I really want to." I tried my best to smile sweetly.

He just sighed making me laugh. "I ain't smilin'."

"You don't have to." I said. I held my iPod up and away and took a picture of us. I looked at it. "Aw, you're so cute, Daryl." I decided to mess with him.

"Shut up." He said and stood up. "We done here?"

"Yeah." I laughed. "We can leave. But," I stuffed my iPod in my pocket while standing, "I still wanna go to those other stores."

"Yeah, I know." He said roughly. He held out his hand to me and helped me up onto the sidewalk.

* * *

We drove down the road passed the cottages and to the next town, which wasn't too far. There was a little place that used to be a deli or something. I just wanted to see if they had any food left that was okay.

We did our normal procedure and then looked around. There wasn't much there to grab. I did, however, find some bagged things, like chips, pretzels and crackers. It's something. I shrugged.

"Huh, chaw." Daryl said. He was holding a container of Copenhagen. He was about to put some in his mouth.

"No!" I smacked his hand away causing him to drop that nasty shit. He gave me a curious look. "You can't chew. Your teeth are too nice to ruin."

He stared at me for a moment, then kind of laughed. "Yeah, okay."

"They are!" I followed him. "Your teeth are really nice. Straight and white." I smiled.

He snorted. "Yeah, well, so do you, but…nothin's nicer than yer eyes."

I stopped and looked at him even though he wasn't facing me. "Are you flirting with me?" I teased him.

He cleared his throat. "We done in here?" He looked a little uncomfortable when I saw his face. I gasped inside and smiled. _He definitely was! That's why he didn't answer me!_

"Yeah, sure we can go." I started walking out. We got back to the car and got in. He started it but didn't pull away yet. I stared at him waiting for him to look at me. When he finally did, I said, "we don't have to go to that other store. We can just go back to the cottage."

"Ya sure? We's down here."

"Yeah, it's fine. There's probably nothing there anyway." I sighed. "Let's head back." He nodded and started driving back the way we came.

We passed a sign, just then, that said, _Ghost Lake!_ "Ghost Lake?" I questioned. "Wonder what that is?"

He sighed. "Lemme guess…you wanna go down 'nere?"

I looked over at him. "I mean…we don't _have_ to, but…yeah, might be cool. We might find some interesting things." I smirked.

"Sure." He said. He turned down the road that the sign pointed to. I had to give him a quick glance. I feel like he's curious, too, because he didn't put up much of an argument not to go.

We rode for a few minutes until we got to an amusement park. It was all rundown and abandoned looking. "Is this it? Is this the place?"

"Yer askin' me like I know." Daryl said. I let out a small laugh.

We drove down the road a little more. "Oh, I guess it's that big lake over there."

"That would make sense." Daryl raised his eyebrows.

"Shut up." I gently slapped his arm. "Smartass." I giggled. "Do you want to check in some of these places since we came down here?"

"Yeah, sure." Daryl said apathetically. "Since we came down here."

I gave him a strange look. He's acting weird. I shook the thought and hopped out of the car. Daryl was taking care of a walker a distance away. There was a building that looks like it used to be a restaurant. I don't think we will find much in there. I looked around the area for other places to check. When it didn't seem like there was much, I got an immature thought to go take some pictures of the abandoned amusement park. I smiled. _I'm gonna do it!_ I started walking that way. "Hey, I actually want to go inside this amusement park." I called back to Daryl.

"What the hell ya wanna look in 'nere for?" He caught up with me.

I shrugged. "I just have a feeling."

We broke inside and looked around. It appeared to be safe, there was no sign of walkers nearby. I pulled my iPod out and immediately took some shots. "That's what ya came here fer?" He asked to me. "To take pitchers?"

I smiled and didn't look at him. "That's not the only reason."

"Yeah? And what else is there to do?" He turned to me.

"There's plenty that we can do." I smiled. "Come on." I gestured for him to follow me.

We walked around looking at the place, I took more photos. "We could go on a boat ride?" I pointed.

"Nah." Daryl said too quickly. I laughed.

"Well…let's play some games." I gestured to the stands. "Maybe you can win me a prize." I teased him. I headed over there. I picked up a few rings and tossed them onto the bottles. I didn't pay attention if I got any. I saw one of those games that you throw a ball and try to knock something down. I perked up because I had an idea. I hopped over the counter and grabbed three balls. "Here you are, sir." I set them on the counter for Daryl. "Take your best shot." I smiled and stood aside. He gave me a look and sighed but readjusted his crossbow onto his back. I giggled. He threw the first one fast and hard and hit the target. "Good job!" I congratulated him like the carnies do. I was speaking into the mic even though it didn't work. "Let's see if ya can get anymore!" I stayed back. He threw the second one and got another. "Wow! Someone has a golden arm!" He threw the final ball and knocked down another. "Congratulations, sir! You just won a prize!" I grabbed one of the stuffed animals and threw it at him. It hit his chest, then he grabbed it. I laughed and hopped back over the counter bringing the balls with me.

"Here." He handed me the prize.

"For me?" I said sweetly and took it. "You're so nice." I was being over dramatic on purpose. He snorted and shook his head, making me laugh. "Alright. My turn." I grabbed one of the balls off the counter and backed up. "You're gonna wanna stand back." I said to Daryl.

"Yeah, okay." He raised his eyebrows and kind of laughed. _Hmm…he must think I'm joking. Even better._

I held my stance then threw the ball fast and hard. I nailed my target and knocked down one of the things. I smiled and looked at Daryl, he looked surprised. _Good._ I did the same for the other two and nailed both my targets. I looked over at him. "Hmm…looks like I didn't need you to win me a prize." I smiled.

"Where'd you…" He trailed off and cleared his throat. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

"Softball." I said.

"I-I didn't know."

"Yeah, man." I pushed my hair of out my face. "I used to play everything growing up." I put the stuffed animal Daryl gave me in my bag. Just then, I heard a walker in the distance. It was just one. "We should probably go."

"Yeah." Daryl agreed. We turned the corner and there were walkers everywhere! My eyes widened. "Shit!"

"How'd they even get in? Where'd they came from?"

"Probably us." Daryl said. "Come on!" We ran around trying to find another exit. More walkers were on the other side of the park. I gasped. "This way!" Daryl yelled. I followed.

Just then, a walker came out the cut and grabbed me. I screamed. It caused me to trip and I fell cutting my arm on a metal fence. I groaned in pain. The walker was still on top of me. I saw an arrow go through its head. "You alright?" Daryl asked with full concern. He saw my arm. "Shit." He said and helped me up. He looked around. "The only way out is the front gate." He said. "We can make it."

I held my arm in pain. It was bleeding pretty hard. "Yeah, let's do it." I nodded.

We ran all the way back the way we came passing several walkers on the way. We took the risk and just ran passed them. Finally, we got to the gate. Daryl opened it and a walker grabbed onto him, I killed it quickly with my knife. He practically shoved me out. Daryl closed the door and we just stood there panting. We just ran for so long. I looked up at him and moved my hair out of my face. We shared kind of a weird, intimate, frantic moment.

* * *

We got back to the car and just sat there a minute before doing anything. Daryl looked at me. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded. I looked down at my arm, my sleeve was soaked with blood. I slowly and gently took my hoodie off so I could get a better look at it.

"Shit." Daryl said. "We should take care of it."

"No." I said too quickly. "Let's just go home. I'll treat it then." I laid my head back in the seat.

He hesitated. "…alright." He finally agreed and nodded. "Yeah, let's get back." He started the car.

* * *

 **Hello everybody!** **Please leave a review for this chapter! I would greatly appreciate it! :D**


	16. Replacement Family

I grabbed my bag slinging it on my back, then started to pick up some of the other items but Daryl stopped me. "I'll get these. Go ahead in and take care 'a yer arm."

"Are you sure?" I asked him. "There's a lot."

"Yeah, I got it." He said.

"Alright." I shrugged. I wrapped my ripped hoodie around my arm while walking inside. I don't want my dad to see me hurt. He will probably make a bigger deal about it than it really is.

Everybody was in the living room when I walked in. They were all looking at me so I decided to say something. "Hey, what's up?" I smirked.

"Well, that took longer than three hours." My dad said to me.

"Oh, shut up." I rolled my eyes. "We found a lot of good stuff." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Good. I hope ya did." He smirked. I gave him a look. "We ate already."

"Wow, thanks for waiting for us." I said sarcastically. I really didn't care.

"Well, you can tell us about all the stuff ya found while you're eating." He said.

I felt wetness on my arm and remembered about my wound. I better take care of it before we lose daylight. "Uh…yeah. In a minute. Daryl's bringing it in. I have to…do something real quick." I walked passed him and into the bathroom. I grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol, tissues and some gauze then headed back outside onto the porch. I got there just in time to hold the door for Daryl, he brought in everything all at once.

I sat down on the steps and slowly took my hoodie away from my arm. I grimaced. It was the first time that I really got a good look at it. It's not bleeding anymore, so that's good. I don't think it's deep enough to need stitches, which is also good. However, it did not _look_ good. _I really hope this doesn't get infected!_ I picked up the alcohol and slowly poured it onto the wound. I hissed as it burned. It actually felt kind of good. The alcohol made it bleed more though. But at least it's getting the bacteria out. I did that once more then, I wiped all the blood off of my arm with the tissues and held it on pressing down hard to stop the bleeding.

Once the bleeding stopped, I started wrapping it but it was really difficult. I had it almost all the way around when I heard the door open and footsteps. I almost jumped! Looking back, I saw that it was Daryl. I sighed. _I didn't want it to be my dad or Michonne. Or Judith!_ I went back to wrapping my arm.

"Hey, need some help with that?" He asked me.

"No, it's okay." I said. "I almost got it." I was using the help of my teeth. I accidentally dropped the glaze, just then, and it all loosened. "Shit! No!" I said to both things.

"Just let me help ya." Daryl said. He got down next to me and started wrapping my arm. He did it a lot quicker than I did because he could use both hands. "There." He said once he was done.

"Thank you." I said quietly. That was nice of him, but I don't like when people have to help me do things.

"Yeah, you alright?" He said. I just nodded. He seemed hesitant. "…well, come on." He put his hands under my arms and lifted me to my feet. It caught me off guard. "Let's go eat." He lifted me again off of the stairs and onto the porch.

 _What the hell?_ I blinked at him. "Okay."

* * *

I was making a fire in the fireplace shortly after we ate. I didn't eat a lot. I just wasn't in the mood, I guess. "Need some help?" I heard.

I looked up at Daryl. "No, I'm good." I smiled. I went to sit down once I got the fire going. We put all of the food items we found into the kitchen and I showed my sister the clothing items I picked for her. She liked them all except one thing. We all laughed.

A little later, we were all in the living room. I put one of the movies on that I found. "Hey, Judy?" Michonne said. "Why don't you go get the card we made for Abby."

"Okay!" My sister jumped up excitedly and ran into her room.

"What?" I asked my dad and kind of laughed.

"She wanted to make you something for your birthday." My dad said.

"It's your birthday?" Carol asked.

"Yesterday was. Apparently." I rolled my eyes but still smiled. She laughed.

"Why didn't ya tell me?" Daryl said. "I woulda looked fer somethin' while we was out."

I gave him a weird look. _Why would he care about that? Why does any of them care about that?_ I was about to say something but my sister ran back into the room and handed me a card. "This is from me and mommy and daddy. I did all the drawings, though." She grinned from ear to ear.

 _Mommy?_ I took them from her. I felt a little awkward with everyone looking at me so I held the card up in front of my face. There were some "kid" drawings inside and some writing. I read it out loud. Everyone kind of laughed and smiled. Everyone, except me. The thing that got me was, at the end, it said _From, Dad, Michonne and Judith._ I was suddenly brought back to many years ago, so I stared at it. When I would get cards for my birthday before, it always said, _From Mom, Dad and Carl._ And, so, I got really emotional. It's crazy how so much has changed and it suddenly caught up with me. I finally put the card down and away from my face. When I looked up, though, everyone was still looking at me. Probably because I was being so quiet. "Thanks, guys." I said to get the attention off of me, I put the card aside. They smiled and seemed to go back to movie. Everyone but my dad. He was staring at me, he knew something was wrong. I looked down so I wouldn't make eye contact with him. I hope he doesn't ask me because if he does, I'm going to cry.

"Abby, you okay?" He asked me. Everyone looked back at me.

I almost rolled my eyes. _Of fucking course._ "Yeah, I'm fine." I said. However, my lip quivered and it was getting impossible to hold back the tears so I got up and left the room before anyone else said anything. I locked myself in my temporary room and laid on the bed and cried.

I heard a knock at the door a few minutes later. "Abby?" It was Daryl. "Are you alright?"

I took a minute to answer. I didn't want him to know I was crying. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are ya sure?"

I sniffled. He definitely knows now. "…yeah. I just want to be alone. I'll be out in a minute."

He was quiet for a minute. "Alright." He finally said. I heard him walking away. I hope I didn't hurt his feelings. _Great! Now I feel even worse._

About fifteen minutes later, another knock at the door. This time it was Michonne. "Abby? Everything okay?"

"I'm fine." I said annoyed. "I told Daryl I wanted to be alone for a reason." My emotions were coming out in anger and I knew it. I wasn't meaning to though.

"Alright. I just wanted to see if you were okay." She said. "I'll leave you alone then." She walked away.

Shortly after, not even five minutes later, my sister was there. "Abby, what are you doing?" She asked.

"Nothing." I answered too quickly. She opened the door and something snapped in me. "You're supposed to knock." I snapped. We have been teaching her to knock before just opening a door.

"Sorry." She said. I could tell she wasn't at all. "Why you in here in the dark?" She came in and plopped down on the bed.

"Because I want to be." A sob escaped just then.

"Are you okay, sissy? You sound like you're crying? What's wrong?"

I know I shouldn't have but I was super annoyed and just wanted to be left alone and I _especially_ didn't want to talk to her because she just wouldn't understand, so I snapped. "Nothing!" I got up. "Just get out of here! Leave me the hell alone!" I shoved her out the door and closed it. "Get out!"

"Daddy!" She yelled. I heard her run away. _Great. Now she's going to tell everyone that I'm crying._ I thought annoyed.

A few minutes later, there was another knock at the door. "Abby?" It was my dad. I'm surprised it took him this long. "I'm coming in." It wasn't a question. He walked into the room with a lantern and sat it on the little table.

"I said I wanted to be alone." I said.

"Yeah, I know what you said." He said. "What's wrong? There clearly is something wrong. So, what is it?" He sat down on the bed.

I became extremely emotional again. "I don't wanna talk about it. Please just leave me alone." I laid back on the bed and cried into my pillow.

"No." My dad said. "No, I won't leave you alone. Not until you tell me what's wrong." He moved up closer to me. "Com'ere." I got up immediately and hugged him back, burying my face in his chest, I sobbed. It's been a long time since we did this. He didn't say anything for a while, just let me cry while rubbing my back and trying to soothe me. I calmed down a little so I let go of him and sat up. "Alright." My dad finally said. "What was that all about?"

I wiped away the remaining tears and took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm sorry. It's just…" I trailed off because the tears were coming back. "That card said from dad, Michonne and Judith and it usually says from mom, dad and Carl." A sob escaped. "And just being away like this…it reminds me of how things used to be. I know it's stupid but…it just made me emotional." I turned away.

"No, it's not stupid." My dad said. "Com'ere." He pulled me closer wrapping his arm around me, I just leaned into him and let him hold me like that. "It's not stupid." He kissed the top of my head. "Do you miss your mom and Carl?"

"Yes." I admitted. "So much. And how things used to be." A sob escaped and I wiped the tears away. "Don't you?"

"Of course I do." He said softly. "But then I remember that I still have you and it makes me feel better."

" _I_ make you feel better?" I asked seriously.

"Absolutely." I felt him nod. "All I have to do is look at ya." He laughed. "You make my life so much better and I'm lucky to have you."

I looked at him and smiled. "Thanks, daddy. You always make _me_ feel better. So, I'm lucky to have _you."_

He let out a small laugh. "Come here, you." We hugged again. He kissed my forehead three times like he used to when I was little. "You coming back out?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be right out." He got up and nodded. "Oh, and dad?" He stopped and looked at me. "Can you let everyone know I'm sorry and tell them why I was upset."

"Are you sure you want me to tell them?"

"Yes." I nodded. "It'll make things less awkward when I go back out."

"Alright." He nodded. "You better be less than ten minutes, though, or I'm comin' back to getcha." He let out a small laugh. I had to smile back at him.

It took me a few minutes to pull myself together then I walked back out into the living room. They glanced my way when they saw me but they didn't stare, which I was thankful for. I took my seat next to Daryl. His mouth pressed into a thin line and he quickly rubbed my back. "You okay, now?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm good." I nodded. "I'm sorry I told you to go away. I was just…" I trailed off and shrugged.

"It's alright." He put his arm around me. "I understand." I smiled. I'm glad he understands.

* * *

The movie just ended and Michonne put Judith to bed shortly after. It was like nine, she was practically falling asleep during the movie. Michonne came back into the room about ten minutes later. "So now that the kid's in bed," I started, "we gonna drink some more?" I smirked.

" _I_ planned on drinkin' more." Michonne said wide-eyed. I laughed.

"What about you guys?" I asked Carol and Mark.

"For a little, yeah." They nodded.

"Yes!" I said. I didn't bother asking Daryl because I knew he would be down. But the one I was worried about was my dad. He can be kind of a party pooper when it comes to drinking. I don't know why, but I know that I definitely didn't get my high tolerance to alcohol from him. And my mom wasn't much of a drinker either, so I wonder where I did get that from? Or who rather? I will have to ask my dad one day. "What about you, dad? You gonna drink?"

"I don't know." He said.

"Oh, come on." I complained. "Don't be lame."

Michonne laughed. "He can't drink." She teased him.

"I can drink some." He said.

"Well, then why don't you?" I teased him more.

"Hey, if anyone don't wanna drank, they don't gotta." Daryl kind of scolded me.

"I know." I looked at him. "But I just want everyone to have a good time together. Not that we need alcohol to have fun…I'm just saying."

"I'll have a drink or two." My dad finally said.

"Good." I suddenly had an idea. If I make drinks for everyone, I can sneak as much alcohol as I want. "So, I uh…I kinda want to…play bartender." I shrugged. "I'll make everyone's drinks. Just tell me what you want." I smirked.

"Oh God." My dad said. "She's gonna kill everyone." They laughed.

"I am not." I said and headed into the kitchen. "I'm bein' nice. Just tell me how you want it. Oh, wait, wait." I grabbed some paper and a pen. "Okay. Ladies first." I said.

"I'll take a Rum and Coke." Carol said. I nodded and wrote it down.

"I just want some wine." Michonne said.

"Alright. Making things easy for me." I said writing it down. "Mark?"

"I want a Gin and Tonic." He said it slowly like I never heard of it before. I almost snorted.

"Oh, wait." I don't know if we have any tonic water left." I checked around. "Oh, yeah we do. We're good." I said. I finished writing his order down. "Dad?"

"Is there still Corona in there?" He asked.

I smiled. "Yes, there is." I wrote it down. "And we still have limes too." I looked up just then. "Daryl?" I batted my eyes at him making some of the others laugh.

"Don't worry about it. I'll get my own drank." He said.

"No." I said wide-eyed. " _I_ am the bartender so _I_ am getting the drinks." I smiled back at him. "So, whatcha want?"

"Just…pour some whiskey in a glass." He said roughly. "No ice."

"Oh, okay." I said. "We got a tough guy." I teased him.

I made everyone their drinks starting with Daryl because his was the easiest then I made Carol's and worked my way down the line. My dad was last. I was still in the kitchen making his. I drank a little bit of each alcohol while I was making them. "Hey, how come Daryl was last on the list but the first to get his drank?" My dad asked me. I knew he was teasing me.

I didn't answer right away. "Because…I told you before." I pretended to get annoyed. "Daryl is my bae."

"Oh yeah." My dad said and laughed. "Still don't know what that is."

"And you still never will." I said wide-eyed.

"I think you got a crush on him." Mark teased me.

"Oh, pfft." I waved and looked down with a stupid look. "We're way passed that. Daryl's gonna be my husband."

"Ohh." My dad, Carol and Mark all said with wide-eyes. Michonne just laughed. I wish I could have seen Daryl's face. He's probably red.

"He's just waiting for the right time to ask me." I said. I walked over and hugged him from behind putting my head on his. "Isn't that right, Darry Berry?"

"Yeah." He said. "Damn, Imma need that whole bottle now." We all laughed.

I stood back up but I still had my hands on Daryl's shoulders. "Dad, your best friend is gonna be yo son." I played some more. I walked back into the kitchen.

Daryl laughed probably because of the way I said that. "Shut up, Abigail."

"Don't tell me to shut up." I said. "I'll take you to the red room."

Carol laughed almost choking on her drink. I smiled because I wondered if anyone would get that. "Do you know what that's from?" I asked.

"Yes." She nodded. "I know what that's from."

"You're the only one that got that." I said. We laughed. "You're the only one." We laughed some more but it slowly died down. "But if you wanna know why I really saved you for last…" I finally finished our drinks and started to walk into the other room. "I wanted a Corona, too, so I waited so I could bring both in at the same time and we could clink." I said as sweetly as possible. I handed my dad his beer.

"Aw, you're so sweet." He played along with me. We clinked our bottles then laughed. _I'm glad my dad is a good sport._

* * *

I waited a while to have anymore alcohol when I was done with my beer. I know about mixing that shit. There was only a little bit of the rum left so I finished that off and then I started drinking vodka. The others only had a few drinks each and then went to bed. It was just Daryl and I now. Of course. We were just sitting there talking.

I got kind of hungry at some point so I headed into the kitchen to make some food. Daryl followed me in. "What ya doin'?"

"I'm starving." I said. "There's some of this leftover chicken stuff. You want some?"

"Yeah, sure." He said. I smiled. _He does everything with me._

We sat at the table and ate once our food was done. Carol made this really good chicken stuff that also had mashed potatoes, peas and green beans in it. I liked it a lot but I didn't have a lot at dinner earlier. "Ugh." I said. "Another bone." I spit it into a napkin.

"Hey, how's yer arm?" Daryl asked out of nowhere.

I looked down at my wrapped arm. I almost forgot about it. "It's good." I shrugged.

"We should change yer bandage before ya go to bed." He said.

"Um…okay." I shrugged. "But…I don't plan on going to bed for a while."

"Me either. I was just sayin'." He said again.

"Well, then…we're gonna have to play another drinking game." I smirked. He sighed making me laugh.

Once we were done with our food, we were back in the living room. I had my bottle of vodka and Daryl had a bottle of whiskey. "Do you get mad when I say stuff like that?" I asked him.

He looked at me. "What do ya mean?"

"You know, earlier? When I was saying about you and I getting married?" I smiled. "Does that make you mad?" I asked him seriously. I was just thinking about it and I wondered.

"No." He shrugged. "It doesn't make me mad, but…" He trailed off.

I looked at him more closely. "But what?"

He looked away and sighed, then back at me. "I don't know how…how yer dad would feel about that."

"Well…it doesn't matter how my dad feels about it. It matters how you feel about it. How _we_ feel about it…and each other." I stared at him. He looked down. "Daryl…" I moved closer to him. "You know I like you." I stated. I don't know if the alcohol was making me this confident? "And I think _you_ like _me_ too."

"Shh." Daryl held a finger up. He glanced towards my dad and Michonne's room.

"It's okay." I rolled my eyes. "They're probably knocked out." I spoke quieter anyway. "So, what are we gonna do about it?"

Daryl hesitated. "…maybe we should talk about this some other time." He suggested. "When there's not other people—

"No." I snapped. "I'm not avoiding this conversation anymore. I want to know if you want to be in a relationship with me. I want to know now." I stared at him waiting for an answer.

After what felt like an eternity, he lifted his head and slowly looked at me. My eyes widened. _This is it! His answer is going to determine whether or not we will be together!_ He cleared his throat. "I…"

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Thank you for your support! What do you think Daryl is going to say? Please review and let me know! :D**


	17. Can't Get No Satisfaction

Once we were done with our food, we were back in the living room. I had my bottle of vodka and Daryl had a bottle of whiskey. "Do you get mad when I say stuff like that?" I asked him.  
He looked at me. "What do ya mean?"

"You know, earlier? When I was saying about you and I getting married?" I smiled. "Does that make you mad?" I asked him seriously. I was just thinking about it and I wondered.

"No." He shrugged. "It doesn't make me mad, but…" He trailed off.

I looked at him more closely. "But what?"

He looked away and sighed, then back at me. "I don't know how…how yer dad would feel about that."

"Well…it doesn't matter how my dad feels about it. It matters how you feel about it. How _we_ feel about it…and each other." I stared at him. He looked down. "Daryl…" I moved closer to him. "You know I like you." I stated. I don't know if the alcohol was making me this confident? "And I think _you_ like _me_ too."

"Shh." Daryl held a finger up. He glanced towards my dad and Michonne's room.

"It's okay." I rolled my eyes. "They're probably knocked out." I spoke quieter anyway. "So, what are we gonna do about it?"

Daryl hesitated. "…maybe we should talk about this some other time." He suggested. "When there's not other people—

"No." I snapped. "I'm not avoiding this conversation anymore. I want to know if you want to be in a relationship with me. I want to know now." I stared at him waiting for an answer.

After what felt like an eternity, he lifted his head and slowly looked at me. My eyes widened. _This is it! His answer is going to determine whether or not we will be together!_ He cleared his throat. "I…" He trailed off. "Yeah." He nodded. "I do."

That's all I needed to hear. I moved forward and kissed him, he didn't pull away. I sat on his lap facing him while still kissing. I started to unbuckle his belt and he grabbed the hem of my shirt but then stopped. "Do you want me to—

"Yes." I said before he could even finish the sentence. He lifted my shirt up over my head then threw it aside. We continued kissing.

Just then, we heard a commotion like someone got up. My eyes widened and I gasped. I immediately got off of Daryl and grabbed the blanket covering myself. My dad walked out of his room. I was sitting there panting and I bet my face was so red! My dad finally looked at us. "Hey, what are you still doing up?" He asked me.

"Nothing." I said too quickly. "We're just talking."

"Oh." My dad said stupidly. He must be really tired. It looked like he was looking at me more closely. "Why's your face so red?" He asked me again.

My eyes widened and I swallowed hard before answering. "Uh…I don't know." I tapped my fingers together nervously. "Must be the alcohol."

"Huh." Was all he said. He walked passed us and into the bathroom. I fumbled for my shirt and hurriedly put it on. I noticed Daryl had a pillow on his lap. It took me a few minutes to realize it was to hide his erection. I wanted to laugh but I couldn't at the moment. My dad got done in the bathroom and walked back out. "Don't stay up too late." He said then went back into his room. I waited until it got quiet again to react.

"Oh my God." I breathed. "I can't believe what almost just happened."

"Yeah, you cain't." Daryl said stupidly. "Ya know how bad that coulda just been?"

"I know." My put my hands on both sides of my head. "We should move into my room." I suggested.

"No, that cain't happen right now." Daryl shook his head. "Too many people here."

I looked at him sadly. I really wanted to have sex with him right then. "Daryl, it's okay. No one will walk in on us."

"I ain't doin' this right now." He said roughly.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I have been waiting so long for him. "Can we at least cuddle?" I sniffled.

He looked at me. "You ain't cryin' are ya?" He spoke softer.

"No." I lied and put my head down wiping at my tears.

After about a minute, I heard him sigh. "Alright. Let's go cuddle." He gestured.

I looked back up at him and smiled. "Okay." I grabbed his hand and we went into my room locking the door behind us.

Daryl and I looked at each other for a moment, we could only see from the moonlight illuminating the room. Then, I looked down at my attire. I don't want to go to bed in my clothes. So, I lifted my shirt above my head and started to take off my bra, I saw Daryl look the other way. "You can look." I said to him. "In fact, I want you to."

"No." He cleared his throat. "It's okay."

 _Really?_ I almost huffed. I changed quickly into my sleep clothes. "Okay." I told him. He turned back to me, I walked closer and wrapped my arms around his neck slowly kissing him. _I'm surprised he didn't pull away._ We let go and just stared at each other. I wasn't quite sure what to do next because I wanted to have sex but I know he doesn't want to. So, I just grabbed his hand and led him to bed. "Come on." I said quietly. I climbed into my bed, then watched Daryl take off his shoes and vest. He stood there for a few seconds, then finally got in next to me. We adjusted our positions, then he put his arm around me. It was nice, too nice. I felt something in a certain area and my breathing quickened. I tried to relax so I could go to sleep, but there was no way that was happening. I really have to have sex with him, I wanted tonight to be when I finally lose my virginity. I'm ready and I want it to be with Daryl Dixon. He doesn't want to though. However, I decided that…I'm going to get what I want for once.

I slowly turned over so that I was facing him, he gave me a questioning look. I took a deep breath. _Just do it! Do it, Abby!_ I almost nodded to myself. My hand slowly moved down until I was right where I wanted to be. I put my hand on Daryl's dick. I think I saw his eyes widened for a second. "Abby." He said. I smiled at him lasciviously. _I love how he says my name._

I shook my head. "No." I said. "No." I quickly climbed on top of him. "I want to have sex."

"Abby." He said again.

"I want to have sex right now." I quickly threw my shirt off.

"Abby, we cain't." He yell-whispered.

"Yes, we can. The door's locked and everyone's asleep." I breathed. He was staring at me. "You know, you want to. You can't resist me." I grabbed his hands and placed them on my bare breasts. I felt him get hard under me and smiled. _I'm winning._

Suddenly, I saw something change in his expression. He sat up quickly grabbing me and practically throwing me aside taking me by surprise. I was scared that he was mad at me. Then, he quickly got out of bed and started unbuckling his belt. My eyes widened. _It worked! We're going to have sex! I knew the breast trick would work! It was a booby trap._ I almost laughed.

His pants were now off so I took my shorts and panties off as well. "Wait, I have a condom." I said to him. I quickly dug it out of my bag and handed it to him. He practically ripped it out of my hands and opened it with his teeth. _Whoa!_ I just got back in bed and waited for him. He was about to get on top of me but I stopped him. "Daryl, wait." I breathed. "I've never done this before." He stopped and just looked at me. I smiled leaning up to kiss him. "Just…be gentle, okay?"

He nodded. I positioned myself better, I was becoming nervous. I honestly didn't know what to expect. I suddenly felt him slowly easing himself into me. I winced. It actually hurt pretty bad. "Ow." I said. "Ow ow."

"Should I stop?" He said.

"No." I answered too quickly. "It's okay. This is just new to me."

"Yeah, well…I ain't exactly that experienced neither." He said roughly.

"I don't care." I breathed. "Just do it." After that, he started slowly, then all of sudden, it was like he forgot everything I just told him and he began fucking me very fast and hard. I winced again. "Hey, whoa." I stopped him. "What'd we just talk about?"

"Sorry." He slowed down for a minute then he started going faster again. I didn't stop him this time, though, because I think I was getting used to it. I kissed him slowly but he started being rough even with that too. And then, if things couldn't have gotten any weirder, he bit my shoulder! My eyes widened. It was only just not painful. I don't know if I liked it or not though?

Suddenly, Daryl stopped and made kind of a weird face. He looked down and breathed out. If I'm not mistaken, he looked a little embarrassed. He lifted off of me a little and rolled over to the other side of the bed. My eyes widened. _Don't tell me that's it! I didn't even get to cum!_ I looked at him. "Um…Daryl?" He just turned his head and looked at me. I didn't know what to say at first, so I just gave him a stupid look. "What the hell?"

"Oh yeah." He said and got up. He took the condom off and threw it in the trash bin. "Imma go out fer a smoke." He slid his pants on and then unlocked and went out the door. I sat there with my jaw to the floor. I didn't even know what to do. I was extremely angry but I also had an urge to cry.

"Jackass."

* * *

The next day was our last night in the cottage so we were cleaning up a little so we wouldn't have to do that in the morning when we leave. I didn't know where Daryl was. My dad told me he went outside and hasn't come back yet. He probably just went hunting. Not that I cared or anything. I was feeling so frustrated because of what happened last night. I feel like my first time was ruined. He's selfish.

I got a box and was cleaning out the fireplace. I didn't want to leave all that soot in there. It wasn't that hard but it took longer than I thought. I could have stopped but I wanted it to look nice.

When I was done with that, I took the box outside to dump into the big fire pit out there. Most of it came out when I dumped it but some of it didn't. I tried shaking it but it kept getting stuck under the sides. "What am I doing?" I said out loud. I just threw the whole box in the fire pit. I squirted a little of the liter fluid inside then lit a match and threw it in. It was cold outside but not as bad as the other days. Plus, the fire would keep me warm.

I got bored after a while and just started walking around. I stayed out of the woods but just walked around on the perimeter. Just then, I felt arms wrap around me. "Hey." It was Daryl. He kissed my cheek and moved down to my neck.

"Hey." I said flatly. I was suddenly annoyed with his presence.

"I found a place." He whispered in my ear, his face was touching mine. "We could sneak off tonight."

I didn't know what to say so I just didn't answer. "Abby." I heard my dad call me. Daryl let go of me so fast that I almost fell. I steadied myself, then turned around, he was standing on the porch. "You out here?"

"Yeah, right here." I said coming into view. "I was just walking around."

"Well, can you please come help your sister pack?" He asked me.

I glanced at Daryl, he was giving me a disappointed look. I almost laughed. I have an excuse to be away from him now. "Yeah, coming." I called and quickly walked away. When I was on the porch, I hugged my dad. "Thanks, daddy."

"For what?" He kind of laughed.

I let go of him. "Just…thank you." I smiled and went inside to help my sister.

* * *

Judith started playing and throwing her clothes up in the air. "Hey, what happened to you helping me?" I asked her with raised eyebrows. She ran over and sat down in front of me on the floor. She was trying to fold things and wasn't doing very well. I wanted to laugh.

"It's easy to fold pants but not shirts." She complained.

"Yeah, I know." I yawned. "Well, how about you fold the pants and I'll do the shirts?"

"Okay!" She said happily. "That way we'll be done in no time!"

I smiled. "That's right." There was a brief pause. I looked at her just then. "Hey, Judy. I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I was just…" I trailed off.

"It's okay. I know you were just upset and miss Carl." She said nonchalantly.

I gave her a small smile. "Do you remember Carl?"

She shook her head. "Not at all."

I looked back down at her clothes. _That's so sad._ I finished the last set, then grabbed the ones she folded and stuffed them all in her bag. "Alright, why don't you go get some breakfast?" I said to her.

"Okay!" She ran out of the room.

I joined the others after that. My dad looked at me. "She's all packed and ready to go." I gave him a thumbs up.

"Thank you." He said. "Grab some breakfast. It's leftover everythang." He laughed.

"Alright." I got myself a plate. "I guess that's going to be dinner too."

"Yup." My dad said. "We're just gonna eat all day until everythang's gone."

"Sounds good to me." I smiled. I heard laughs from other people. Once I got my food, I headed into the other room to sit down and eat. Daryl was in the hallway when I passed. I didn't even look at him.

We all sat at the table eating. I did not make eye contact with Daryl once. He's going to figure out sooner or later that I'm pissed at him. And that's just fine with me. "When we're done eating, can Abby take me down to the water?" Judith asked my dad out of nowhere.

"I hope you don't mean to swim?" Michonne asked her.

"No. No way! Too cold!" Judith shivered. The others laughed. "I just mean…take a walk."

My dad seemed hesitant. "…does Abby want to go down to the water?"

I looked up from my food at everyone while shoving my last bite into my mouth. Before I answered, I glanced at Daryl. Of course he was looking back at me. I can get more time away. I looked at my dad. "Sure. I don't care." I shrugged. "I mean…might as well. It _is_ our last day here."

"Alright, you two just be careful, okay?" My dad said to me. I nodded.

"Yay!" Judith jumped up. "Come on, Abby!" She grabbed my hand and was pulling me.

"Okay okay, jeez." I said. "Calm down, kid." I heard the others laugh. Judy and I were in the living room now. "Put your jacket on." I told her while I was getting mine on. "And hey, this is quite a walk down. So, don't think I'm carrying you if you get tired."

"I won't get tired." She said defensively.

I raised my eyebrows. "Yeah, we'll see." I looked back before we walked out the door. I got an odd feeling, just then, that Daryl was going to follow me.

* * *

"Why'd you wanna come down here so bad?" I asked my sister. She was looking around in the water like she was searching for something.

She shrugged. "I wanted to see if we could find any crabs."

I gave her a weird look then laughed. "Well, if we do, you know what's going to happen, right?" I smirked. She just looked at me. "We're gonna cook 'em up and have some crab legs." I poked at her belly.

"Ew, nah uh!" She said.

"What do you mean? It's yum, not ew." I laughed. "Seafood is the shit."

"Yucky." She made a face.

"You'll see." I smiled. "Seafood his great."

"Seafood is great." I heard Daryl say from behind me. _I knew he was going to follow me._

"Hey, what are you doing here, Uncle Daryl?" Judith asked him accusingly.

"Just wanted to make sure you two were okay."

"You didn't have to." I looked up at him. "We're fine."

"Yeah! Abby can keep us safe!" Judith yelled.

"Judy, keep your voice down." I scolded her. She muttered an apology.

"Okay." Daryl said. "I really came to talk to ya." He cleared his throat and sat down on a rock next to me. He was quiet after that.

"Yeah?" I finally said stretching the word out.

"You didn't say nothin' when I mentioned the place I found."

I didn't respond right away. "What did you want me to say?"

"I-I just thought, ya know, you'd be happy." He said. I didn't say anything, it was quiet. "So…do ya want to?"

I hesitated. "That was the only condom I had." I whispered. It was a lie, I had several in my bag.

"Well, we can go on a run and get more." Daryl suggested.

"Yeah, if you want to go through the trouble?" I said nonchalantly.

"The trouble?" He questioned me.

"That's what I said." I sighed and pushed my hair out of my face. There was a brief pause so I decided to look at him. He was giving me a weird look. I became nervous and looked away.

"Yer mad at me." He finally said. It was a statement not a question.

I glanced at my sister, she was playing and not paying any attention to our conversation. I looked back at Daryl. "Damn right I'm mad at you." I said not too loud. I got up and stood right there.

"Okay. Why?" He mimicked my movement.

I gave him a disbelieving look. _He cannot be that stupid!_ "Are you kidding?" I almost laughed. It wasn't funny at all, though. I glanced at my sister again, this time she was looking at us. I turned away from her and faced Daryl. "You stopped." I said through gritted teeth. I climbed up the short hill and stood next to a tree. He followed me a moment later.

"What do ya mean?"

"I wasn't done." I said a little louder. He looked taken aback. Part of me felt bad but I didn't hold back, he needed to know. "When that shit happens, you keep going." I pointed a finger at him. "You don't get to get your rocks off and then leave me hanging. That's not how it works. It's not fair." I finished. I was just looking at him. He kind of had his head down and looked a little embarrassed. I suddenly felt bad. _Maybe he really didn't know._

"Sorry." He finally said. He kicked some dirt on the ground. "I…I don't have…much experience neither."

My expression softened but I was still mad. "What do you mean?" I crossed my arms in front of me.

"I only…did it once." He sounded uncomfortable.

"You only had sex one time?" I whispered. I couldn't have my sister hear this conversation.

"Yeah, I really don't want to talk about it." He said and leaned against the tree. "I'm sorry, though."

I suddenly felt really bad. He's almost as unexperienced as me. It would be like someone being mad at me. Somehow, it made him more adorable to me. It's like he has this innocence about him. "No, I'm sorry." I touched his arm. "I didn't know."

"Don't ya patronize me, little girl." He said roughly and shoved my arm away. He started walking.

"No, I wasn't." I followed him. "Daryl, stop."

"Oh, ya want me to stop this time?" He spun around. I gave him a look. I thought about what he just said and the situation we are in and I felt nervous. Suddenly, I giggled. "Oh, ya thank this is funny, huh?" He said. "Ya laughin' at me?"

"No." I stopped. I put my arms around his neck. "But you're right. I was patronizing you and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for getting mad too." We just looked at each other. I glanced around him to make sure Judith couldn't see, then I stood on my toes so I could kiss him. I'm glad he didn't pull away. We stopped and stared at each other.

"So, what do we do now?" He finally asked. "Ya don't wanna have sex no more?"

I almost laughed out loud. "Uh, no, Daryl. We need to do it again so we can get better at it." I giggled.

He nodded and maybe looked a little uncomfortable. "Okay."

I smiled at him quickly then went to get my sister. "Judith, time to go."

"What? But we just got here." She complained.

"And it's time to go." I said seriously. She made a sad face and trudged up the hill.

I wanted to hold hands with Daryl as we were walking back, but I figured I probably shouldn't with Judith right there. Speaking of her, I noticed she was kind of lagging behind. I don't know if she was doing it on purpose, though. Like maybe she was trying to be on her own or something. What I do know is that, I couldn't wait until later when Daryl and I could be alone again. The thought of us sneaking around was so hot to me for some reason. "Abby." Judith suddenly said. "I'm tired. Will you carry me?"

"No." I answered immediately. _I knew she was going to do this._ "I told you it was a long way before we left and that I wasn't carrying you if you got tired." I said sternly.

"Please!" She whined.

"I said, no, Judith."

She whimpered and complained. "You're mean." She huffed.

"Stop it. You're not a baby." I scolded her.

"Uncle Daryl?" She said to Daryl. "Will _you_ carry me?"

He looked at me. I widened my eyes. "You can say no."

He sighed and cleared his throat. "Com'ere." He told her.

"Yay!" She yelled and he picked her up.

I shook my head at the two of them. "Pathetic." I let out a small laugh. "You're a wimp and you're a pushover." I nudged Daryl.

"Yeah, yeah." He said.

I laughed. Just then, I thought about Daryl with our kids while watching he and Judith. I wouldn't mind having kids someday. Definitely not right now but I could see it in the future. The _FAR_ future. I laughed again. _Daddy Daryl._ I smiled.

* * *

 **Hello everyone! Your reviews, favs and follows are much** **appreciated! I feel like Abby and Daryl's first time together was more realistic in this way because we all know that Daryl doesn't have a lot of experience when it comes to that stuff. Norman Reedus even said so himself and that it would be very awkward. And who knows Daryl better than the man himself? ;) Hope you all enjoyed! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	18. Third Time's A Charm

We got back to the cottage and didn't really do much after that. We all kind of sat around and just relaxed. Carol and Mark left a little early. They said they wanted to get back home because they had stuff to take care of. So, now it was just my dad, Michonne, Daryl, Judith and I. We still had some alcohol left and I wondered if anyone was going to drink. I didn't ask this time, I just went and made myself a drink. I don't care, I will drink by myself.

"So, did ya learn anythang while down by the lake?" My dad asked my sister after some time.

Judith put her hand under her chin like she was thinking. "Well, Abby taught me that seafood is the shit." She said. My dad and Daryl laughed.

"Judith." Michonne gave her a look. "You don't say that word." Then she looked at me.

I shrugged. "Well, she's not wrong."

"That may be true but she doesn't need to talk like that." Michonne said. She still laughed though.

"Oh yeah!" Judith jumped up. "I also learned that Abby isn't mad at Daryl anymore." She grinned from ear to ear. I felt my face flush. Daryl and I shared a look.

"Abby was mad at Daryl?" My dad said. He looked at me.

"No." I said.

"Yeah huh!" Judith yelled at me, then turned to my dad. "She was mad cuz Daryl stopped and she wasn't done." She must have heard our conversation after all. My eyes immediately widened and I felt all the blood drain from my face. It felt like time just stopped. I was staring at the floor.

"What?" My dad said and looked over at us.

I slowly lifted my head meeting their questioning looks. I felt extremely nervous and laughed. "What? We were hunting." I lied. "Right, Daryl?"

"Yeah." He raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat. "Didn't get anythang, though. Haven't seen many animals 'round here."

"Oh." My dad said. "Well, that's alright. It's our last night here anyway." He seemed to let it go so I relaxed. However, I noticed that Michonne was still looking at me funny. She can probably tell that something is up. It made me uncomfortable so I quickly finished my drink and went to get another. I sighed shaking my head. _That was too close for comfort._

* * *

Not much went on the rest of the day. Daryl and I kind of stayed away from each other because I had a feeling that Michonne was on to us. My dad was completely clueless; he would never think his daughter and his best friend would be doing that. It sounds kind of shitty when you put it that way, but that's not it. We like each other.

A little later, I started feeling…like I needed something. And I know exactly what that something is. Daryl. Suddenly, Judith got real excited. "Hey!" She yelled. "We should play one of those games!" She pointed to a shelf that had tons of board games on them.

"Hey, you're going to bed soon, little girl." My dad told her. "We already let you stay up an hour past your bedtime. You're gonna be tired in the morning when we leave."

"I wanna play a game!" She jumped up and down. "PLEASE! It's our last day!" She pleaded.

"Judith, we can play board games at home, you know?" Michonne said to her. "It doesn't matter where we are."

"But I wanna play them here." My sister said sadly.

My dad sighed. "Okay. We can play a few games." Judith jumped up and started looking through them. "Abby? Daryl? You guys gonna play?" My dad asked us.

"Mmm…I don't know." I said calmly. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk instead."

"Oh okay." My dad said. "Well, I could go with you so you don't have to go alone?"

"No, that's okay." I smiled. "I just wanna take a nice, little night walk by myself." I got up and gave Daryl a look when I walked by him. Hopefully he will take the hint. I stopped in my room before walking out the back door, I grabbed a couple of condoms and put them in my pocket.

I walked a few houses down taking my time, then sat on a picnic table in one of the yards. I would wait right here for him. It was only about ten minutes when I finally saw him. I smiled. "So, what excuse did you give to leave?"

"I didn't." He shrugged. "I just left. Said I wasn't playin' no damn board game."

I laughed. "Yeah." I nodded. "She's a cute kid but she needs some friends her own age because she sure is getting on my nerves."

"Yeah, well, she almost blew our cover today." He raised his eyebrows.

"I know! Oh my God." I shook my head. "I got so scared." I giggled.

"You did? Yer dad would probably try to kill me."

"Yeah, I don't know how all that would go down." I stretched. "Not pretty though."

"Yeah." He said. We both let out a laugh. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him slowly. I felt that instantly. It's like magic. I almost laughed. We finally let go of each other and just looked at each other.

"So, where's this place at that you told me about?" I smiled at him.

* * *

Daryl and I were inside another cottage. We picked the master bedroom and stood there like idiots staring at the bed. I finally turned to look at him, he did too. "Okay." I said. I took off my shoes first then I moved closer so we could kiss. We pulled apart for a second and looked at each other then kissed a little more. I felt more nervous than the first time for some reason. We finally let go of each other and I started taking the rest of my clothes off. Daryl was just staring at me. I gave him a look.

"Oh." He said stupidly. "Sorry." He started taking his clothes off too.

All I had on now was my bra and underwear. "Here." I handed Daryl a condom.

"I thought ya said ya ain't got no more?" He said roughly to me.

"I lied cuz I was mad at you." I giggled. He gave me an almost annoyed look and grabbed the condom. "By the way, I don't think I liked it when you bit me."

"No?"

"No." I giggled and shook my head.

"That will never happen again." He said. I smiled and nodded. "Com'ere." He grabbed my arm and yanked me to him. Our lips met. I relaxed. This was heaven. I was practically panting already.

"Mm." I said. I pulled away. "Okay." I nodded. I took my bra off, then went and laid back on the bed waiting for him. I stared up at him with my big eyes. He finally got in bed with me, he still had his pants on. I watched him unbuckle his belt and slide his pants off, he was about to open the condom but I stopped him. "Well, wait. I'm not ready yet."

"Huh?" He looked up at me.

"I…wanna do more…stuff first." I said.

He cleared his throat and sat on his knees in front of me. "What do you want me to do?"

I bit my lip and tapped my fingers together nervously. "Well…it's not just me…I mean…we could both do some stuff and—

He cut me off by kissing me. He was kind of rough and fast. I gave him a surprised look when he stopped. "No. What do you want me to do? Tell me anythang." He had his hand under my chin and his thumb gently moved over my lips. It gave me butterflies in my stomach.

"Um…" I said all breathy. "Kiss me." He leaned forward. "No." I stopped him. "I mean…down my body." I laid back so he had better access. He nodded. He started with my neck and slowly moved all the way down. His kisses weren't soft and feather like at all. He was always kind of rough, but I mean...it matched his personality so I liked it. I breathed heavier and heavier as he made his way down. "Okay." I breathed. "Okay, I'm ready." I felt his fingers hook the waistband of my panties and he slid them down then threw them aside. He removed his pants and underwear in record timing and put the condom on. "Remember, I'm new at this." I reminded him and smiled. He looked at me before lowering himself closer to me. I could feel his erection. I winced as he was slowly easing himself inside of me.

"Ya okay?" He asked once he was fully inside.

"Yeah." I breathed. "Just…be gentle. And please let me finish this time." I almost laughed.

He kissed my lips softly for a moment. "I'll try my best." He said. Finally, he started moving. Slowly at first then he moved faster. It hurt at first but I began to get used to it. I finally started to like it. A moan escaped. "Good?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah." I breathed out and nodded. "Go a little faster." He did. I was getting more and more used to it and liking it. I was breathing heavier. I could tell I was getting close.

And then…it was ruined. Daryl stopped and made that face again. He looked down disappointed and kind of embarrassed. I was screaming inside. _NO! I was so close, damnit!_ I felt bad because he tried this time AND he was aware because of our little chat. I leaned up and kissed his cheek. He slowly pulled out making me wince then rolled over to the other side of the bed. He sat on the edge with his back to me. "I'm sorry." He finally said.

"It's okay." I spoke softly. He turned and gave me an angry look, probably because he thought I was patronizing him again. "No, really. It is." I tried to reassure him. "It was better. I swear." I got up and sat behind him wrapping my arms around him. I kissed his back. "We just need to do it more so we can get better at it." I smiled.

"You mean so I can get better at it?" He asked roughly.

"Daryl, please don't be upset." I shook my head. "You make me feel…good inside. I haven't been this happy since…well, since I don't even remember." I rested my chin on him and smiled. "We still have one more condom."

He took a minute to speak. "Why? So I can disappoint ya again?"

"Daryl." I started to get annoyed. Then I thought of something. "When you went hunting for the first time, were you as good at it as you are now?"

He hesitated. "…no."

"Exactly. You just need more practice." I let out a small laugh. "And lucky for you…I want that practice."

He turned slightly so I could see his face. He gave me kind of a smile. "We should get back. You sure took a long walk."

I giggled. "And you just like…disappeared." We both laughed. "But yeah, you're right. I already think Michonne is on to us."

"What do ya mean?" He asked with full concern.

"Well, after Judith said…what she said...Michonne was giving me this weird look. I feel like she knows something."

Daryl was quiet for a minute. "Well, I don't like that. I don't like that at all."

"Oh, it'll be fine." I waved him off. "We should have sex again later tonight."

He gave me an almost stupid look. "Ya just told me ya thank Michonne knows and you wanna do it in the same house as them?"

"Yeah." I smirked. "It's hot knowing we could get caught." He shook his head at me, which just made me laugh.

As we were getting our clothes back on, Daryl seemed to get serious. "Listen," he started, "I want a relationship with you, it's just…yer dad and the others cain't know."

I gave him a look. _We both know that already._ "Yeah, I know. We've already been over this." I let out a small laugh.

"No, but they really cain't find out." He said seriously. "When we're around them, we's gotta pretend like everythang is normal."

I stopped what I was doing and thought. _That actually sounds kind of fun. It's almost like we have this other life, this SECRET life._ I smiled and shrugged. "Sure, yeah." I nodded. "I can do that." I moved my hair away from my face. Daryl nodded at me. We just stared at each other for a moment. Then, he moved closer to me, I knew he was moving in for a kiss. Our lips met again. We kissed slowly but not for very long. We had to get back, not get started again. I smiled at him.

We held hands as we walked back to the cottage.

* * *

We couldn't walk into the cottage together because that would be too suspicious, so we decided that I would go in first. I walked in through the back door and went straight into the kitchen. My dad and Michonne looked up at me immediately. "Well…" My dad started to say. "That sure was a long walk."

"Yeah." I swallowed. "It was nice." I sighed. I started busying myself with making a drink so I didn't have to make eye contact. Once I was done with that, I took a sip and joined them in the room. "Judith in bed?" I asked. My dad just nodded. I returned his nod. I looked around briefly and faked a weird face. "Hey, where's Daryl?" I asked them.

"He left a little after you." Michonne said. "We thought maybe you would know where he went?" She was giving me a look that made me nervous.

I got a sudden urge to laugh and the more I held it in, the worse it got. So, I just let it happen. I let out a little nervous laugh. "Why would I know?" I took a huge gulp of my drink. Just then, we heard the front door open, then there stood Daryl. I relaxed a little. I'm glad he came in through the front since I came in through the back. "Hey, we were just talking about ya." I said to him.

"Oh yeah?" He said making his way over.

"Yeah, we were wondering where you went?" I smirked. It's so hard to keep a straight face. He walked passed me and kind of like ruffled my hair. I was surprised and then I got annoyed but I realized soon after why he did it. _Good one, Daryl._ I smiled and took another sip of my drink. I noticed Michonne was looking at me funny again so I immediately wiped the smirk from my face.

The four us sat around and talked for a while. My dad said something about us leaving tomorrow and it kind of depressed me. I didn't want go back, I was really starting to like it here. And spending time with Daryl. All of a sudden, it felt like the wind was knocked out of me. _What's going to happen when we go back home?_ Daryl lives by himself. Am I going to get to see him? I don't want things to just go back to normal. I need him.

"Abby?" My dad said bringing me back to the now.

"Huh?" I looked up at him.

"I said, do you still write stories?"

I blinked a few times. "Uh…I haven't in a long time." I looked down at my drink for a second then back up. "I should though." I nodded.

"Yeah, with the stories you used to tell, I bet you'd be pretty good." Michonne said to me.

"Oh, she is good." My dad said. "She let me read some of the little things she wrote and I was just…amazed."

"No." I said. "I let _mom_ read some of my stuff and she betrayed me and told everyone about it so then I had to show them to you too."

"Well, it's a good thang she did." My dad said. "Then we knew how talented you were and probably still are." He smiled at me. I blushed a little because compliments make me uncomfortable. I quickly finished my drink and went to make another one. Daryl followed me to the kitchen, he grabbed a small glass and poured some whiskey in it. Suddenly, I felt him squeeze my bottom as he walked by. I felt that in a certain area and gasped holding onto the counter. "You alright, honey?" My dad asked me. They were both looking at me. I felt my face flush.

"Yeah, uh…I just…almost dropped the bottle." I laughed nervously. I steadied myself. I needed something to change the subject. "Who wants to take a shot of tequila?"

"I'm not doin' shots." My dad said.

"Come on, everyone. Please." I said. "It's our last day of vacation. Please take a shot with me."

"I'll do one." Michonne said. "One."

"Yes." I smiled. "Daryl?"

"I'll do one, but I ain't drankin' no damn tequila. I'll use whiskey."

"Okay." I smiled. I started pouring the shots. I gave Michonne and I tequila and my dad and Daryl got whiskey. I handed one to everyone. Also, I brought in some salt and two limes for Michonne and I.

"Abby, I said I didn't want one." My dad complained.

"If everyone else if taking one then you are too." I stated.

He sighed. "Fine."

I smiled. "Alright, ready?" I held my shot glass up. Michonne and I licked the salt off of our hands, then we all took our shot at the same time. Michonne and I bit our limes. I grimaced at the sourness and shook my head. We all kind of laughed. "So…who wants to do another?"

"No." My dad said. "And you don't need to either."

"Come on." I complained. "I'll do one right now." I poured another shot and threw it back immediately, then laughed. Alcohol is my vice. I know it's not good but…I just love it. I brought the drink I made earlier and sat back down. I took a big gulp.

"Abby, stop drinkin', huh?" Michonne said to me.

I gave her a surprised look. "What?" I glanced down at my cup and then back at her. "No."

"You don't need to be drinking like you do." She continued. "I saw how much vodka you put in your cup."

I didn't realize anyone was watching me when I made my drinks. It kind of annoyed me. "I'm not even drunk." I shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. You don't need it. That's not good for you." She gave me that look again.

"I know." I nodded. "I know. But…" I trailed off and giggled because the alcohol was finally starting to hit me and I was in an awkward situation right now. "I'm just like, I just, I know, it's bad but I'm just like…I love it." I smiled. "It's like candy." I giggled.

"Well, you're gonna be sorry one day." Michonne said.

"No, she's gonna be sorry in the morning." My dad chimed in.

I laughed. "Says you."

He turned more towards me and gave me a look. "How much have you had to eat today?"

I had to think about his question. I know the answer is going to make him mad. So, I hesitated. "…breakfast."

He just stared at me for a minute. "You're cut off until you eat somethin'." He said getting up.

"Sure, I could eat." I said taking a sip.

"She should be cut off for the night." Said Michonne.

"I'd like to but…she's gonna do what she wants." My dad said.

I didn't like them talking about me like I wasn't in the room. It made me feel like I was a child, which made me uncomfortable. They were kind of hurting my feelings. _Why do they have to worry about what I'm doing anyway?_ I never looked at my drinking as a problem before. I took a sip of my drink then sat there with my fist under my chin. I didn't try to hide the fact that I was upset. "You don't like my drinking, I'll just go in another room then." I pouted. "Since you guys have to…gang up on me and give me another intervention." I sat there like that.

"No one's ganging up on you." My dad said to me. "I just don't want you to get sick."

"I won't." I snapped. "I'm not an idiot. I know my limit." I took another drink.

I could tell my dad felt bad. "Well…just eat something and then we'll leave ya alone, okay?"

"Whatever." I said and sipped my drink.

* * *

I ate a little something like my dad wanted me to and he kept his promise. No one said another word about me drinking. We stayed up and talked for a while. The alcohol was making me tired, so I leaned my head on the armrest of the couch and closed my eyes. I could still hear them talking, but I wasn't paying attention.

At some point, though, I must have fallen asleep because I woke up with my head still on the armrest. I slowly lifted it and winced. "Ow." I grabbed at my neck.

"See what happens?" My dad said to me.

"Well, why'd you let me fall asleep like that?" I snapped sleepily. "You should 'a pushed me down onto the couch." I didn't even really know what I was saying. I heard my dad laugh and say something but I wasn't listening. I think I responded, though, but I don't remember what I said. I laid down on the couch and went back to sleep quickly.

"Abby?" I heard my dad's voice, he gently shook me. It must have been sometime later because it looked darker in the room. They must be going to bed. "Abby, come on. Get up and go to bed. Come on." He tried. I just remembering mumbling something and going back to sleep.

I awoke some time in the night, I felt groggy but not drunk anymore. No one was in the room and it was dark. I realized then that I had to pee really bad. I got up quickly and headed outside. I squatted behind a big tree that was a little into the woods. It felt so good to relieve myself. I almost laughed. I finished my business and headed back inside. My dad and Michonne obviously went in their room at some point, but where is Daryl? I gasped just then. _Oh my God, Daryl! We were supposed to have sex tonight!_ I put my head down disappointingly. _I ruined it._

He wasn't in the other bedroom that was Carol and Mark's, I looked when I walked by, and he wasn't on the couch in the other room. _Where could he be?_ I got my answer when I walked into my room. He was in my bed. "Daryl?" I whispered. It was too dark in there for me to see his face but I heard movement and knew he looked at me. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No." He said roughly. _He's probably mad at me._

I crawled in bed with him and kissed his temple. "I'm horny." I whispered.

He seemed to hesitate. "…we cain't."

"Please?" I ran my finger down his face.

"No, we really cain't."

I sat up and looked at him. "Why?" I was annoyed and confused.

"Cuz yer drunk." He said stupidly.

"No, I'm not." I shook my head. "I'm really not drunk anymore. I promise." I breathed. "I'm sober." I nodded. He was giving me an unsure look. I became nervous. I really needed this right now. I need _him_ right now. "Please?" I begged. "Please, Daryl."

He leaned up slowly and kissed the bridge of my nose, then nodded. I was able to relax then. He got up out of bed, I mimicked his movements so I could give him a condom. He slapped my bottom, so I gave him a look. "Hey, what was all that about back there?"

I guessed he was referring to the conversation with my dad and Michonne about me drinking. I shrugged. "I like to drink."

"Mhm." He said. "Well, they are right in a way. Ya shouldn't be drankin' like that."

I rolled my eyes. "Please. Not you too." I started taking my clothes off starting with my pants.

"Yeah, well, even so, ya gotta watch." He said roughly and slapped my bottom again.

I gave him another look but I wasn't mad. I kind of liked it. I suddenly felt playful. "Yeah, can we just…fuck already?" I put my hand on his cock and giggled.

"Yeah." He said, he almost sounded annoyed. Then, he lifted me and practically threw me onto the bed. I giggled. He got on the bed with me and kissed me. I smiled at him. "You want me to do what I did earlier?"

"Yeah." I said all breathy. He kissed me after that. It was long and slow and I was loving every second of it. Then, he made his way down. I laid back to help him out. I let out a moan when he slid my panties off. There were certain areas that felt better than others, like my neck and close to my breasts, and for some reason, the area around my belly button felt nice when Daryl kissed there. This felt heavenly. I was practically panting like a dog when I told him I was ready.

I laid back and watched him put the condom on. That excited feeling in my belly was back. I had a good feeling about this. Daryl got on top of me, I stopped him before he was about to do what he was about to do. "I have an idea." I said. "Just shove it in. Quickly."

"What? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just do it fast." I whispered.

"Alright." He cleared his throat. I felt him slam into me making me cry out. "Okay?"

"Yeah." I panted. "Do it." He started out slowly like he normally does, then he picked up speed. I was trying to be quiet but it was nearly impossible. I moaned loudly. I felt like I was close. "Say something."

"Huh?"

"Just say something." I shook my head. "Sound dominating."

Daryl was quiet for second. "Ab, ya gotta help me out. I-I don't know what that means."

I sighed. "I don't know. Yell at me or something." I got an idea just then. "Scold me for drinking like I did earlier."

"Alright." I heard him swallow. "Don't ya ever do that again." He said roughly. I almost laughed. "It's dangerous and bad fer ya. So, ya better knock it off, young lady. Just cuz I ain't yer daddy don't mean I won't spank ya, little girl."

I moaned loudly. The last line is what got me. Just then, I got this feeling like something was going to happen and it almost seemed like everything stopped for a few seconds. Then, I got the best feeling I have ever felt in my entire life. My eyes widened and I stiffened up moaning loudly. And the good feeling happened more than once. My legs were shaking. Daryl was still going. I realized that…I just had an orgasm. I couldn't have been happier in that moment.

Daryl finally finished and pulled out of me. He rolled over on the other side panting. I rolled over to face him and grinned from ear to ear. "I came."

"I saw that." He said.

"You know what that means, right?" I asked him. He just looked at me. "You did it." I giggled. "And you were really good."

I actually think I saw a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth but it was gone quickly. "Shut up." He said jokingly. I giggled.

I gasped just then. "I was right." I got excited. "Third time's a charm." I smiled real big at him.

"Yeah." He said. "Com'ere." He grabbed me and planted a bunch of kisses on my cheek.


	19. Several Firsts

"You have a cute nose." I said to Daryl while laying next to me. He gave me an annoyed look. "You do." I giggled.

"Shut up." He said. I laughed again. We readjusted our positions and I wrapped my arm around him with my head on his chest. This feels so nice. Earlier, when we were done having sex, Daryl was going to leave but I stopped him and made him stay and cuddle. I hope he likes this as much as I do.

"I like this." I said playing with his chest hair.

"What?" He looked down at me.

"Just…being here…with you."

He stared at me for a moment, I wondered what he was thinking. Finally, he nodded. "Yeah, me too."

I gave him a small smile. I realized then just how tired I was. "Are you comfortable?" I asked him. I wanted to make sure before I fell asleep. It wouldn't be fair if I was and he wasn't. He just nodded. I smiled again then laid my head down on him. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep for once.

* * *

I woke up to soft kisses on my face. _Hmm. Never been woke up like that before._ I smiled. My eyes fluttered open and I was met with Daryl's stare. "Hi." I smiled.

"Sorry I woke you up." He apologized.

"No, I'm glad you did." I smiled warmly at him. He kissed me on the cheek again and moved closer to my lips, I was about to kiss him back but then I stopped myself. "Wait." I said covering my mouth. "I have morning breath." I said wide-eyed.

"So?" He said roughly.

"It's a major turn off." I shrugged and smiled. "It is for me, at least." I waited and just looked at him wondering if he could take the hint. "I'm gonna go brush my teeth." I said getting out of bed. I quickly threw some clothes on.

"I guess I'll…do mine too." Daryl said.

I turned to him. "Did you even bring a toothbrush?" I kind of laughed. He never answered me so I figured the answer was no.

Peeking out the door, I saw that no one was around. I nodded at Daryl. "We're good." I went into the bathroom after that to brush my teeth. I just got started when Daryl followed me in there. He copied me and now we were both standing there brushing our teeth together. _I guess he did bring a toothbrush._ I got a funny feeling. I have never brushed my teeth with him before. I kept glancing at him. _How can he make something as normal as brushing your teeth look so sexy?_ I was practically panting. _Cool it, Abigail. You can't right now! We're gonna be leaving soon!_

He finished before me, only rinsing his mouth once. I usually do it about three times and then I gargle twice. I watched as he wiped his mouth on his arm. He planted a chaste kiss on the top of my head as he walked by, then slapped my bottom. I just stared at him until he was out of sight. Turning back to the mirror, I looked at myself and then let out a nervous laugh. _Daryl Dixon is something else._

* * *

We didn't stick around long after that. We got right to gathering things and packing the cars. There was some double leftover food so we threw it out into the woods for any critters. I didn't bring a lot of stuff with me, so I was pretty much packed and ready to go. What I'm really happy about is that my sister's stuff was done the night before. That would be a nightmare if we had to do that now. And I know who would get stuck doing it.

"Does everyone have everything?" My dad asked everyone. Michonne and Judith said yeah and Daryl just nodded. "Abby?" He asked me when I didn't respond.

"Yeah, I got my stuff."

"Really? I didn't see your bag in the car?" He turned to me.

I glanced at Daryl before answering. "That's because I put it in Daryl's car. I'm gonna ride back with him."

"Oh." My dad blinked. "Okay." He seemed to shrug it off, which I was thankful for. However, Michonne gave us a look. I tried to ignore her and act natural.

We got into our separate cars after that. "That was weird." I said to Daryl after we closed our doors. "I told you she was on to us." I laughed.

"Yeah." He raised his eyebrows. "I was worried about yer dad. Now I'm worried about her." He started the car and we drove off.

"What are we gonna do when we get home?" I finally asked Daryl that question that I have been dreading.

"What do ya mean?" He looked at me.

"Well…how—I mean…we're not gonna see each other as much." I gave him a serious look. He looked back at me. "Unless…I move in with you…" We shared a look that time.

"How would you do that though?" Daryl shook his head at me. "What would you tell yer dad?"

I looked down. The truth was…I had no idea what I would tell my dad. If I said I was moving in with a friend, he would ask which friend and I don't have very many friends back home. And if I just said I was moving out on my own, he would most likely try to help me move my stuff in and, of course, want to visit. So, I'm stuck. I became frustrated. _I hate this! I just want to be with Daryl, that's always all that I wanted! Why does it have to be complicated and all these things standing in the way?_ I realized just then that I never answered Daryl, he was still waiting for an answer. "I don't know." I quietly said. Suddenly, a tear slid down my cheek and a sob escaped. I saw Daryl glance at me.

"Hey." He said. "What's 'a matter?"

Now that he noticed, I just gave into my emotions and let myself cry. "It's just so frustrating."

"What is?" He spoke softly.

I sniffled and wiped at my tears. "I just…want to be together. I wanna be with you. I want US to be together."

"We are." He nodded at me in reassurance.

"Yeah, but…I want to be together all the time. Not just stuff like this." I took a deep breath trying to steady myself. "I mean…don't you?" I looked at him with tears in my eyes.

He looked back at me twice before answering. "Yeah, I do. Of course I do."

I nodded sadly. "So, what do we do?" I looked at him for all the answers.

"I don't know, baby." He shook his head. "But we'll figure it out. We will figure it out." He nodded and gave me a serious look. I just looked into his eyes and…I believed him.

* * *

"We're out of condoms…for real this time." I smirked. "We're gonna have to go on a run soon."

"I'm sure they got 'em at the front shop back home." Daryl said. At our trailer park home, whoever goes out on runs and brings things in takes them to this little place that used to be a store in the park. I think it's a pretty smart idea.

"Yeah, but…wouldn't you rather go out?" I looked at him and smiled. "We could have some alone time."

"Alright." He nodded and kind of side smiled. "Yeah, we can do that."

I giggled then looked back to the road. My dad and Michonne were ahead of us. "You think they're talking about us?"

"I'on know."

I thought for a minute. I don't want to bring it up but… "You know we're gonna have to tell them eventually?"

He glanced at me before answering. "Yeah, well…that ain't gonna be fer a long time."

"I know." I smiled. "But I bet we'll feel so much better once we get that off our chests." He just looked at me.

We were both quiet for a minute or two. I remember the other day when I saw Judith and Daryl and thought of us having kids one day. I should ask him because…what if he doesn't? "Hey, Daryl?" I just decided to do it. "I don't want to scare you but…you think you'll ever…want kids…someday?"

He looked at me with eyes a little wider than before. I almost laughed. He looked like he was about to say something but stopped. "Do you?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe." I paused. "If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't." I looked at him. He seemed to get a little uncomfortable, which made me a little uncomfortable. I got kind of scared, not going to lie. "Do you…not want kids?"

Daryl sighed next to me. He took a minute to answer. "It's like ya said, if it doesn't, it doesn't."

"But it might."

"If we keep bein' careful, it won't."

I looked down then back up at him. "So, you don't want kids then?"

He sighed heavily and looked at me a few times before replying. "I wouldn't be a good dad." He shook his head.

 _So that's what's bothering him?_ I gave him a small smile. "Don't say that. You'd be a great dad."

He snorted. "Yeah, right."

"You would." I looked at him more serious. _Does he really think that about himself?_ "And I wouldn't let you be a bad dad, Daryl."

"I don't wanna talk about this no more." He said quickly.

I was taken aback. "Okay." I finally said. I started thinking. _Why did I even bring that up? I don't even know if I want kids myself. You scared him._ "I'm sorry." I shook my head. "I don't know why I brought that up. I don't even know if _I_ want kids." I kind of laughed. "It's just…my mom always told me to talk about that stuff before things get, you know, serious?" I sighed. "My parents didn't talk about that. They were practically just kids. My mom got pregnant with me and they got married. I'm not even sure they wanted to." I let out a nervous laugh. I thought just then. "Actually…I'm the same age as my dad when I was born. That's like crazy to think about." My eyes widened. "And that means my mom was only nineteen."

"I didn't know yer dad was that young when…" Daryl trailed off.

"Yeah, we're twenty-two years apart." I said. He nodded. "But…yeah. There's that." I let out a small laugh.

We were quiet for a minute. "Once we get back home and get situated, we can go out on another run, okay?"

"Sounds good to me." I shrugged. _I smiled to myself though._

* * *

Once we got back to the park, Daryl dropped me off at my house then went to his. I threw my stuff inside and then announced to my dad that I was going on a run. He sometimes still gets reluctant about me going out on my own, but it's not like he can stop me or anything. Besides, I'm not alone, I will be with Daryl. He doesn't know that, though, because I couldn't tell him.

I met Daryl by the front gate, we decided on leaving the car behind to reserve fuel. As soon as we were out of sight, I threw myself at him and give him a long and passionate kiss that I felt instantly in a certain area. We finally pulled apart. "Damn. We ain't even been apart an hour." He said. I giggled.

"So, where we going?" I asked him as we continued to walk.

"Well, we could look in a store somewhere or check in some houses nearby."

"Or we could do both." I said. "Get condoms in a store and then find a house." I smiled lasciviously at him.

"Yes, ma'am." Daryl said. Suddenly, he lifted me and planted kisses on my cheek making me giggle. He put me down and we continued walking down the road. "Hey, how's yer arm? I fergot about that."

"It's alright." I shrugged. The wind blew, just then, making me shiver. I tightened my hoodie around me. "I can't wait till it gets warm again."

Daryl snorted. "We got a long way to go. Ain't even winter yet."

"I know." I rolled my eyes. "I hate it." I suddenly had an idea. "Maybe you can keep me warm tonight." I smiled.

He looked at me. "I cain't stay at yer house." He said stupidly. "We'll get caught no doubt—

"I know, I know that." I swallowed. "But…I could come over to your place."

"How?"

"I'll sneak out." I laughed. "Come on, it'll be hot."

"Alright." He smirked and shook his head. "So, there's a little convenient store up here." He pointed.

We made our way to the store. There was only one walker around the building, Daryl killed it. "Think this Red Bull is still good?" I asked him.

"Probably not."

"Yeah." I said disappointed. "Imma take it anyway." I put the pack in my bag. "Do you remember when Monster was like the biggest thing ever?"

"Yeah. I do remember." Daryl replied with raised eyebrows. "Seen stupid kids wearin' shirts and shit."

"Yeah!" I laughed. "Everyone at my school was so into it." My face twisted. "It just tastes like Mountain Dew." I shrugged. "I was more of a Venom person…but that kinds just tasted like Mountain Dew too. I guess I just liked it cuz it wasn't Monster." I let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Just find the damn condoms." He said from an aisle over.

My mouth gaped open jokingly. "Are you getting annoyed by the sound of my voice?" He didn't answer me. I gasped. "Daryl Dixon." I pretended to be appalled. I suddenly thought of an evil plan. I walked up behind him and slapped his ass as hard as I could. He turned around giving me a glare. I laughed and ran away.

"Alright, that's it." He said roughly and started coming towards me. I squealed and ran while laughing. I ran through the aisles with him chasing me, it wasn't a very big store and I knew he wouldn't stop until he got me. Plus, I kind of wanted him to. "Com'ere." He grabbed me. I screamed. I tried to pull away but Daryl was much stronger. He lifted me and sat on the counter with me over his lap. "Gimme yer ass." He said through gritted teeth. I was screaming and laughing the whole time. "This is long overdue." Just then, I felt his hand connect with my butt making me squeal. I could tell he wasn't using his full strength but it was still pretty hard. He hit me again.

"It's been a long time." I said.

"It has. Too long." He said and smacked me a third time.

"Ow." I giggled. He hit me one more time before lifting me off of him and setting me on my feet.

"You be a good girl now." He said roughly.

"Yes, sir." I rubbed my bottom and giggled. "That was fun." I walked off trying to find things we needed. I spotted a box of tampons on a shelf. _I should probably take these. It should be happening soon._ I rolled my eyes. _I hate my period more than cold weather._

"Find anythang?" Daryl asked me.

"Huh?" I said looking up from the box. "Oh yeah. The condoms are right there." I pointed. He was looking down at the box in my hand, then at me with a weird look. I realized his unanswered question. "Oh, no." I shook my head. "I'm fine. I just grabbed them in case."

"Alright." He cleared his throat. He turned towards the shelf with the condoms.

I grabbed three boxes and shoved them in my bag. "You think that's enough?"

"I'on know." He shrugged.

I quickly pushed all the remaining boxes into my bag while still looking at Daryl. "Think we're good now?" I smiled. He nodded with a smirk. "Let's go find a vacation home." I joked. "Or we could do it right here?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"You want to?"

"Yeah, let's do it." I smirked. We heard a growl as if on cue, there was a walker outside.

Daryl looked back at me. "Maybe some other time." He said to my disappointment. _That damn walker cock blocked me!_

* * *

We walked down the road a little ways where there was a small neighborhood with little houses and stuff. I picked one that was pretty much right in the middle of the other houses and we checked it out. It was clear.

I closed the curtains in every window just in case any walkers or even people came by; it made the house dark but it was still pretty light outside. Daryl was tying the door shut just for extra security.

Once we were done, we faced each other. Things became more serious than they were before. I could feel my heart beating faster as I was walking towards him dropping my bag to the floor in the process. Our lips met for a long, slow kiss. That feeling I loved traveled south almost instantly, it's like he's magical. I was already breathing heavily when we pulled apart.

We just stared at each other for a moment. Finally, I said, "are we doing this?"

"Do you want to?" He asked me.

"Yes." I said without a moment's hesitation. "Do you?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

I nodded back giving him a small smile. "Okay." We kind of awkwardly stared at each other again. I felt like an idiot. "Let's uh…let's pick a room then?" It was more of a statement than a question. I grabbed my bag and walked upstairs with Daryl following me.

I walked into a few rooms before deciding on the master bedroom because it had the biggest bed. I stared at the bed then turned to Daryl, he was looking right at me. "Well, here we are." I let out a small laugh. However, my laugh faded when I saw Daryl's face. I don't get why he still seems uncomfortable. I guess maybe it's the start. So, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. It's amazing how I feel after kissing him. We are perfect for each other. I felt his hand touch my face, his thumb gently caressing my cheek. I stepped out of my boots. My hands moved down and started unbuckling his belt, then unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. I pulled away for a second to say, "take my shirt off." I breathed. He did what I asked as we continued kissing. I stopped us briefly so I could take my pants off, he did as well. When I reached back for him, he lifted me and threw me on the bed. I breathed heavily looking up at him. That's when I hurriedly threw him a condom from my bag; he practically ripped his underwear off, that's when I saw it. My eyes widened. Daryl's erection was so big! This is the first time I'm really seeing it because we had sex in the dark those times at the cottage. _No wonder why it hurt so bad at first!_ I watched him put the condom on.

"Somethin' wrong?" He asked bringing me back to the now.

"Uh, no." I shook my head stupidly. "I was just admiring the view." I smirked while taking my bra off.

"Alright." He snorted. He crawled onto the bed in front of me. "Get these thangs off." He grabbed the waistband of my panties and yanked them down. It really did something for me.

"I need you now." I breathed.

"Now?" He asked almost sounding a little surprised.

"Yeah, I'm ready." I laid back. "Please fuck me now. Fuck me hard." I was so horny I could almost cry.

"Yes, ma'am." He hovered over me. I felt him slam into me making me squeal. He kissed my forehead. "Okay?" I nodded breathing heavily. He started to move at my permission, slowly at first then faster. This shouldn't take long at all. I have been ready since we were at that store.

I was breathing heavily and moaning. "Oh, Daryl. You're so good." I said in between breaths. I thought about in the store when he spanked me and told me to be a good girl. That was it for me. I climaxed around him, my legs shaking and my eyes almost rolling to the back of my head. Daryl finished soon after, he slowly pulled out of me and took the condom off, then laid next to me on the bed. I laid back and weakly pulled the blanket over me. "That was fantastic." I smiled. I rolled over a little so I was cuddling him.

"It was fast." Daryl was still trying to catch his breath. "Probably the fastest we ever done."

"That's because you're the greatest." I giggled.

He looked down slightly squinting at me. "You patronizin' me again, girl?"

"No, I was being serious. You are the greatest." I smiled. I kissed his cheek then touched his face.

"Yer hands are cold." He said. He grabbed both of my hands holding them in his and rubbed them together, then breathed on them. My eyes widened as I watched him. _That was so sweet. Whoever said he wasn't a gentlemen?_

"You're the nicest person I've ever met." I said seriously. He snorted. "I'm not kidding." I looked up at him with my big eyes.

He stared at me for a minute. "Yeah, well…yer the most beautiful person I ever met." He quickly kissed my hands then let them go. I smiled at him sweetly. Laying back on him, I started playing with his chin hair. I think he was liking it.

"Let's do it again." I said out of nowhere.

He looked down at me with raised eyebrows. "We just got done, what are ya? Some kinda—

"I wanna be on top this time." I grinned from ear to ear. I pulled the covers off me and got on top of Daryl. "Here." I said sweetly and handed him another condom from our pack. He gave me an almost annoyed look but I knew he really wasn't. I actually think he was as excited as I was but he didn't show it. We never did it with me on top yet. I caught Daryl staring at my breasts now that I was fully exposed like this. I looked down at them and back up. "Do you like my titties, Daryl?" I teased him.

He let out an awkward laugh looking down and put his hand on his face. "Abby." He said.

"Well, I saw ya take a peek." I smiled lasciviously at him. "Here." I thought of an evil plan. I grabbed his hands and placed them over my breasts. "Feel good?" I giggled. I felt his erection spring free, Daryl seemed to get embarrassed. I realized yet again that I never even touched his penis. "Can I do it?" Before he could answer, I grabbed the condom from him and began opening it. I slowly slid it down while taking glances at Daryl.

When it was fully on, I let out a nervous laugh. "You're a big guy." I trailed his length with my finger. Once again, he got embarrassed. It's weird but…I love that about him. I lifted up and very slowly and carefully eased myself down onto him. I smiled at him once I was all the way down. "Ready?" I started moving slowly, riding him. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. In fact, I kind of like it better this way. I enjoyed riding him a lot.

Once I got the hang of it, I started moving faster and then even faster. It was very tiring though. I needed to do this quickly. "Say something." I breathed.

"You dirty, little girl." He said roughly. "Ya know what I did to ya back at that store? Ya want that to happen again, huh?"

"Yes." I breathed out.

"Ya do, huh? Alright." He cleared his throat. "Ya just wait til we're done here. Yer little ass is goin' right back over my knees, ya hear? Yer gonna have one sorry bottom, I can tell ya that much."

"Oh!" I cried out and moaned louder than before. I climaxed around him for the second time that day. AND it kept happening! I had multiple orgasms that time! It was amazing!

Daryl held onto me and helped me keep going until he was done. Despite how good I felt, I was really worn out. Daryl helped me off him and laid me next to him. He quickly took the condom off and took care of himself. "That was the best ever." I said tiredly. "I love being on top."

"Oh yeah?" I felt him kiss the bridge of my nose.

"Mhm." I smiled. "I'm so tired though."

"Then go to sleep, cutie." He kissed my forehead and covered me with the blanket. I soon drifted off to the sleep after that.

* * *

I don't know how long I slept but I'm guessing it wasn't very long. A pain in my stomach woke me up. My eyes fluttered open. It took me a minute to take in my surroundings, It was still light outside. Daryl wasn't next to me. I realized then just how hungry I was. I haven't eaten at all today. Daryl probably hasn't either. "Daryl?" I called.

"Down here, baby." I heard him call. I didn't know if I should get up and go down there but I heard his footsteps coming up the stairs so I decided to just stay right there. "Ya alright?" He asked me while sitting down on the bed. I just nodded. "Well, that weren't a very long nap." He loosely wrapped his arms around me and planted several kisses on my forehead, but he did it kind of slowly.

"It was good enough." I shrugged. "I'm starving." I put my hand on my stomach.

"Me too." He nodded.

"Well…you can come back to my place for dinner once we get back." I smiled. "I bet Michonne's making something."

"Yeah, or you could come to my place and I could cook fer you." He said quietly.

I thought about his offer for a minute but…I had to decline. Besides, all my things are at my house. "No, I really want to get home and shower. I feel gross." I admitted. "We'd have to go to my house anyway so I could get some clean clothes."

"Alright." He shrugged. "We should head out then." He stood up. "If we wanna get back before dark."

I looked down at my opened bag with my boxes full of condoms. "Wait. We should do it one more time." I suggested. He gave me a look that said, "are you serious?" I almost laughed. "Please, we can do doggy style! We haven't done that yet!" I grinned from ear to ear.

Daryl sighed. "Yer killin' me, girl, ya know that?" He sounded angry but I knew he was only joking. I giggled.


	20. Sunshine

"Let's make this quick." Daryl said. "Put yer hands on the bed and bend over." He ordered. I smiled. _I like when he's demand._ Bending over, I was still naked which gave Daryl better access. There was something about being in this position that really turned me on; I think it was because I was so vulnerable like this and exposed. I felt Daryl's hand on my back that slowly moved down to my butt. I moaned and squirmed. His hand moved lower and touched my sex. I was panting.

"Please fuck me." I said all breathy.

"Demandin' little thang, ain't ya?" Daryl said. I could feel his smirk. I smiled because I just thought that about him. "Like I said, let's make this quick." I heard him opening the condom. After he put it on, I assumed, I felt his hand again. My eyes shot open as he finger entered its way inside me. I could barely stay still. _He's torturing me._ I can honestly say that, I could almost cry right now. I was about to say something but then his hand moved away, nothing happened for a minute then he slammed into me taking me by surprise. I moaned loudly. He started moving quickly in and out. I was loving it. This new position is fantastic. I stood there moaning loudly.

Just then, I remembered that Daryl said to make this quick. We have to get back. I reached back and moved his hands from my lower back to my butt. He took the hint. I breathed even heavier, I love his touch. I knew that I was close.

Suddenly, one of his hands left, then came crashing down on my bottom. That's all I needed. I climaxed and almost couldn't hold myself up. Daryl held onto me and kept going until he finished, then slowly pulled out and gently laid me on the bed. _He's getting better and better._ I just stayed there for a minute like that. Then, I turned over on my back so I could look at him. I smiled at him. "That's a fun position."

"Yeah?" He said.

"Yeah. It was fantastic." I smiled lasciviously.

"I missed seein' yer face." Daryl said. I gave him an almost surprised look, then smiled at him. _He's so sweet._

* * *

I just pulled my boots on and finished tightening the laces and was now making my way down the stairs. I winced a little. "Ya okay?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah." I nodded. "I'm good." I winced again the rest of the way down. "Ow." I said lowly when I reached the bottom.

"For real. What's wrong?" Daryl said roughly.

I turned to look at him, for some reason I felt a little nervous. "I guess I'm just a little sore." I admitted.

He nodded. "Want me to carry ya?"

I gave him a stupid look and laughed. "Yeah, right?"

"I'm serious." He came up behind me and scooped me up making me giggle. He carried me bridal style out of the house kicking the door open. I gave in and rested my head on him. _Might as well let him and get comfortable._

As we were walking down the road, Daryl switched my position and put me on his back. I told him he didn't have to, but he made me. "You're getting better and better." I said out of nowhere.

"Huh?"

"At sex." I stated. "And satisfying me."

"Oh yeah?" Daryl said it like he didn't know. I'm positive he knows though. He clearly sees my reactions to him.

"Yeah." I smiled. "You haven't finished before me since that one night at the cottage when we went to that other house. How—how'd you learn to do that?"

I heard him breath out. "That's my secret."

I gave him an annoyed look even though he couldn't see my face. "Oh, come on. Just tell me."

"Ya really wanna know?"

"Yes. Please tell me." I waited for his answer.

"I don't thank about nothin' till ya cum." He told me his secret. "Then all I gotta do is look at ya."

I blushed. "All you have to do is look at me?"

"Pretty much."

Taking in what he just told me, it made me feel good. I really like him and I think he really likes me too. In fact, I love him. I don't know if I should say it to him yet though, it might freak him out. Like I did with the talk about kids. I almost giggled. "Yeah, well…I really like it when you slap my ass." I grinned.

"Ya do, huh?"

"Yeah, that's usually what does it for me. Your touch, though…it really gets me going." I giggled. "That's all it takes."

"Good." He said. I smiled and kissed him by his ear.

* * *

We arrived back at my house soon after. My dad was sitting on the screened in porch with Judith. "Hey." He said when he saw me. "Find anythang?" I saw his eyes land on Daryl but he didn't say anything.

"Not really." I shrugged. "I got some feminine supplies." I kind of laughed. My dad just nodded. "You guys eat yet?"

"Uh, no, not yet. Michonne's making somethin' right now, I thank." My dad said.

I nodded. Daryl hadn't said anything yet. "Well, I brought Daryl for dinner." I smiled.

"I see that." My dad kind of laughed. They greeted each other by shaking hands like they do.

There was an awkward pause. "Well, I'm gonna go take a shower." I said. I turned around to give Daryl a kiss but then my eyes widened and I caught myself before I did it. My face flushed and I hurriedly walked inside. _That was too close._

"I see you're with Daryl again." Michonne said to me. She was stirring something in a pot on the stove. What she said was more of a statement than a question. The look she gave me scared me.

"Uh, yeah. I brought him for dinner." I said nervously. "I hope that's okay? I should have asked first but…" I trailed off.

"It's no big deal." She answered without looking at me. "But why are you still with him?" She did look at me this time.

I blinked at her a few times in surprise. "Well…I ran into him as I came in so I just…invited him." I lied.

She stared at me before answering. Finally, she smiled, then let out a laugh. "Okay." She nodded. "Okay." I could tell she didn't believe me. "Well, I wanna have talk with you."

My shoulders slumped and I became annoyed. "Can't it wait? I've been dying to take a shower." I complained.

"Yeah, it can wait." She nodded some more. "But we're gonna talk eventually."

I sighed. I knew exactly what the talk was about and I knew I couldn't avoid her forever. "Okay." I finally just said. I went into my room and practically threw my dirty clothes off. I could hear my dad and Daryl talking on the porch. _Good._ I thought. It made me smile. Then, I wrapped a towel around myself heading into the bathroom.

I hate this small ass bathroom and shower. I was getting very aggravated. I already dropped my shampoo twice and almost fell. I tried to be as quick as possible in the shower; I stepped out and slipped because there wasn't a carpet on the floor, it didn't fit in there anymore. "Damnit." I said.

"Abigail, are you almost done in there?" Michonne asked me. "Dinner is just about ready."

"Yeah, I'm trying to get out of here." I answered. As I was drying myself off, I lifted my arm and hit my hand on the cabinet. It hurt pretty bad. "UGH!" I yelled. "I hate taking showers in this small ass bathroom!" I yelled and pounded my fist on the wall with each word. I heard my dad and Michonne laugh out in the other room.

"That's one of us almost every single day." My dad said, he was probably talking to Daryl.

"Is-is everyone out there?" I asked. "Because I'm not getting dressed in here. It's too damn annoying." I had my towel wrapped around me and walked out of the room. I didn't look at anyone just went straight to my room. I quickly got dressed, then took care of my hair. I was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a thermal, which was a little short and showed about an inch of my waist. Even though I was hot after my shower, I was comfortable. I also had to rewrap the wound on my arm.

When I figured that was good enough, I walked out to eat with everyone. Daryl was the first one I saw, he was sitting on the sofa. My dad and Judith were at the table. "Me and Daryl can use these." I said pulling out the fold up tables.

"Or you could let him sit at the table." Michonne looked at me wide-eyed. "Daryl's our guest." She kind of laughed.

I stared at her. "Daryl doesn't wanna sit with you guys. He wants to sit with me." I smirked. That's something I would have said before we were together. "Right, Daryl?"

"I'on care." He shrugged with a slight smirk.

"See." I said. "He's just too nice to say it." The others laughed.

We sat and ate pretty much quietly through the whole meal, we were having spaghetti…again. I didn't mind though. Things with noodles are my favorite food. Daryl and I gave each other glances here and there making sure that no one saw. I heard Daryl slurp his noodles next to me, when I looked, he had a little sauce on his beard. I giggled. "You got sauce." I pointed and smiled. He grabbed his napkin and wiped his mouth but missed the spot. I giggled again.

"Did I get it?" He asked.

"No." I smiled. "Just let me." I grabbed my napkin and wiped his chin, then laughed. Michonne was looking right at me. My smile faded almost instantly. _I have to stop._ "You done?" I asked him. He nodded. I grabbed both of our plates and was about to take them to the sink when I felt Daryl trying to pull my shirt down for me. I gave him kind of a weird look but then just laughed. I quickly washed our plates, then set them aside to dry. We have a rule in the house that everyone does their own dishes.

* * *

Daryl didn't stick around long after dinner. Said he needed to get home for some reason. Before he left, I whispered to him to meet me by the one little bathhouse so I could say goodbye to him properly.

I waited about five minutes after he left, then said I was heading to the bathroom. This trailer park does have usable toilets in the homes but the thing is, you're really only supposed to pee inside. If you have to do the other, you have to use one of the bathhouses. There's several of them around. The only other thing about that is, you have to supply your own toilet paper. So, if you see someone walking down the road carrying a roll of toilet paper…you know what they're on their way to do. It's a little embarrassing but I mean…hey, everyone does it.

I met Daryl right outside the bathrooms. "Hi." I smiled sweetly. We kissed. "I should say bye." I laughed a little. Then I became serious. "I wish I could just go back to your house with you."

"Me too." He nodded.

I thought for a minute and smiled. "I can still come over tonight, though, right? After everyone's asleep." I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I thought ya said you was sore." He said to me.

I was a little disappointed. "I'm fine. I'll be fine." I shrugged. "Unless…you don't want to?"

He looked at me seriously. "I want to but not if yer hurtin'…down there..." He said roughly. I looked at him a little sadly and let go of him. His expression seemed to soften. "I-I don't wanna hurt ya."

I understood what he was saying, but I really wanted to spend tonight with him. "You don't hurt me." I assured him. "You make me feel great." I smiled. He still looked reluctant. "Look, the hot water from my shower made it feel a little better. If…if I'm not feeling better by tonight, then I won't come. But if I'm okay, which I probably will be, then I'm coming over…if you want me to."

"I do." He sighed. "It's all up to you. Really."

I sighed in relief. _I'm glad that's over, that was scary._ "Well, good." I finally smiled again and hugged him. "Now…stop being complicated." I kissed his cheek, then looked at him. He kissed me back. We gave each other a long, passionate goodbye kiss.

When we finally pulled apart, I smiled at him then touched his face. "Thanks for stopping by."

"Thanks fer invitin' me." We just stared at each other. I really didn't want to go. I obviously can't speak for him, but I don't think he wanted to go either.

I smiled. "See you tonight." I turned and started walking away. Something made me look back and I saw Daryl headed in the opposite direction as me. We went our separate ways…for now.

* * *

I walked up onto the porch and latched the door. I suddenly thought of when Daryl kicked that door open and carried me out. It made me smile. _He's such a gentlemen._ I thought. _He doesn't know it but he so is._ I absentmindedly let out a small laugh.

"Penny for your thoughts?" A voice said. I gasped and turned wide-eyed to my dad that was sitting in the corner. He laughed at me. I did not even see him there.

"Oh." I relaxed. "Sorry, dad. I didn't see you there." I laughed a little thinking about how stupid I probably looked.

"It's alright." He smiled. "I didn't mean to scare ya." He was sitting on the small glider we had on the porch. I realized it's been a while since we really talked. So, I made my way closer to him and sat down next to him.

"Hi, daddy." I said sweetly and leaned into him.

"Hi, baby." He kind of laughed and kissed my temple. "Where ya been?"

"What do you mean?" I tried to sound innocent.

"Well, I just haven't seen much of you lately." He tightened his arm around me. "I missed you."

I felt a small pang of guilt. He's right. For the passed few days, I have only been around Daryl. I wondered just then what things would be like if I moved out? I have never really been away from my dad like that. We have always been around each other and super close. The thought made me sad and actually scared me a little bit. I got a knot in my throat. "I'm a busy woman." I said to lighten the mood. I always hide behind my pain with humor.

He laughed. "Yeah but no matter how old you get, you're still my little girl."

I smiled. There was something about his statement that made me feel better. Relieved maybe? But I don't really know why? "Good." I said. He laughed again and rubbed my arm.

"What's this?" He asked me. He probably felt my bandage through my sleeve. _Shit._

"Uh, it's nothing." I said sitting up. He was giving me a look. "I cut my arm when Daryl and I went on that run…you know? Back at that cottage?"

"How bad is it?" He asked concerned. "Let me see."

My face flushed. "It's fine, dad."

"I want to see it." He gave me his serious look. I could have just walked away but I didn't want to make a scene. So, I lifted my sleeve and unwrapped the bandage so my dad could look at it. "Abigail." He was holding my arm. "This looks like it should have had stitches. Why didn't you say anything?" He scolded me.

"It's fine, dad, I promise. And I didn't want to make us leave the cottage early." I looked at him. "Didn't you have a good time?"

My dad gave me an almost annoyed look. "Yeah, I had a good time but…this kind of stuff is more important."

"Well, it's fine." I reassured him. "Please help me rewrap it." I started to do it myself but he finished it. Then he kissed my arm. "Really?" I rolled my eyes but still laughed.

"Hey, I already told you." He smiled.

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. "So, have any plans for tonight?" I smirked.

My dad snorted. "Yeah, right? Where the hell would I go?"

I laughed. "Well, you and Michonne could take a nice, little night walk or watch a movie or something." I smiled.

"Yeah, we could." Was all he said. "Well, what about you? You have any plans?"

My face flushed. _Just to go fuck Daryl, you know, your best friend?_ I cleared my throat. "Uh…no, no." I shook my head. I pressed my knees together because that thought honestly got me a little horny. "Probably just go to bed."

"Wow. You're just as boring as me." He teased.

"Shut up. I'll never be as boring as you." I gave him a dirty look. He laughed.

"Speaking of bed," he started, my eyes widened. _What the hell?_ "Judith has been wanting you to read to her. Says that you do the best character voices." _Oh._ I relaxed.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Sure, yeah. Maybe I will tonight."

"It would mean a lot to her." My dad pushed.

I gave him an annoyed look. "Yeah, I get it." I rolled my eyes. "I'll read to it."

"It?"

"That's what I said."

"Abigail." My dad scolded me but still laughed. "That isn't nice."

"Why are you laughing then?" I looked at him with wide-eyes and laughed.

"Just because the way you said it and I wasn't expecting that."

"Alright." I raised my eyebrows. We both laughed some more.

We sat there together a little longer, then it got pretty cold as it got later. "I'm gonna go in. It's too cold." I shivered and stood up.

"Yeah, me too." My dad copied me. He rubbed my arms as we walked inside. "How come you're walking like that?"

My face flushed. "I just…scraped my inner thigh on something when I was out." I shrugged. "It's just a scrape though."

"Try to be more careful." He nodded.

Michonne had just gotten out of the shower and Judith was coloring in a coloring book. "Time for bed, sweetheart." My dad said to her. "Abby's gonna read to you tonight." He smiled at me, I returned his smile with an annoyed look. He just laughed.

"Okay." Judith said.

"Put your crayons away first." I said to her. "We don't leave stuff laying around." I try to teach my sister things like that. She's old enough now to pick up after herself. I watched her put her crayons back in the box then slide the books and that under the sofa. "Alright, come on." I had a thought just then and stopped her. "Wait, go to the bathroom first. I don't want you peeing your bed. Then, I have to lay there and smell it."

Judith got mad but my dad laughed. "I don't do that!" She said angrily.

"Yeah, okay." I raised my eyebrows. She stomped into the bathroom. My dad and I shared a look. I just rolled my eyes and turned my head.

* * *

"So, what do you want me to read to you tonight, kid?" I apathetically asked my sister. I was sitting on my bed and she was laying in hers. We shared a room that had bunk beds but they weren't on top of each other. We moved them so they were side by side. I started going through the books. "We got some Dr. Seuss, The Velveteen Rabbit, Where the Wild Things Are, some random Christmas book…" I trailed off and shook my head. When she wasn't answering me, I looked up from the books giving her a look.

"I'm too old for that now." She said quietly.

I scoffed. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"Yeah, I am." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm done with that kid stuff. 'Sides, you don't wanna do it anyway."

I gave her an annoyed look. "Judy."

"Judith." She corrected me. "I wanna be called Judith now."

I blinked at her a few times. She seemed serious. "Okay." I finally said. "So, what do you wanna do then? I know you aren't ready to just go right to sleep?"

She hesitated. "…tell me about my mama."

I stared at her. The way she was looking at me mixed with how she said that actually made me sad. I swallowed hard. "What do you want to know? We've already told you everything." I stood and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Did she read to _you_ at night?"

I smiled because I remembered something. "Sometimes but…I wasn't into that. She would sing too but I hated it for some reason." I smirked. "Carl liked it though."

"Did she not sound good?" My sister asked innocently.

"No, she did. She had a very nice voice." I nodded.

"Why didn't you like it then?"

I had to think about her question. To be honest, I didn't have an answer for that. My mom told me that when I was just a baby, she tried to sing to me but I would cover her mouth. It always made me laugh when she said that. I didn't know why though. And even when I got older and I would hear her sing, I always got annoyed. I never knew why. Maybe it was jealousy? I really don't think so, though, because I could sing too. In fact, I was WAY better than her. So, why didn't I like her singing? I just didn't know. "I don't know." I finally answered her. I sighed.

"What did she used to sing?" Is the question I was hoping my sister didn't ask next.

"Well…I don't really remember what she _tried_ to sing to me, but…she used to sing this one song to Carl all the time." I nodded.

"What was it called?" She asked wide-eyed.

I hesitated. I suddenly felt a little emotional and got a knot in my throat. I took a deep breath and tried swallowing the lump. "You Are My Sunshine." I said quickly.

"Do you know the words?" She seemed to get a little excited.

"I know…a little." I rolled my eyes. "Please don't ask me to sing it though."

"Please." She begged. "I really wanna hear it."

"Judy—Jud _ith_." I corrected myself with a smirk. "I really don't want to." I shook my head.

"Please, Abby! Please! Please!" She sounded desperate.

She doesn't get it though. "No!" I snapped. "Forget it, okay? Now, go to sleep!" I said angrily and moved over to my bed. When I looked back over at her though, she looked more sad than I have ever seen her. It about melted my heart and I felt like an asshole. She slowly rolled over and faced away from me. I felt extremely bad for that. After all, I know she just wants something of my mom's. Even though it's painful for me, I will do this one thing for her. I stood back up and sat back down on the edge of her bed. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine." I started singing. "You make me happy when skies are gray." She slowly turned and looked at me. "You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." I started to feel emotional but I didn't want to cry in front of my sister. I pushed her hair back.

"You sound pretty, sissy." She said sleepily. "You should sing more."

I nodded. "Go to sleep now."

"Will you sing it one more time?" She asked me.

I hesitated. I can do this one more time. "…you are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray." My sister closed her eyes. "You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." I tried to sing it more quickly this time and without interruptions. She fell asleep soon after. I needed to get out of there.

I quickly walked out of the room. My dad was sitting on the sofa, to my surprise, he looked at me when I stepped into the room. We shared a look. I knew he heard all of that. I breathed heavily with tears in my eyes and walked out the door without saying anything. I unlatched the door on the porch and walked to the end of the driveway where I broke down. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I sat on my knees and sobbed.

I thought about my mom and Carl. _I never…I never mourned them._ I started breathing heavily. I put my hand over my heart. I'm having a panic attack. "I can't do this anymore." I said out loud. I stood up and started running down the road while still crying. I didn't know where I was going, I just ran and ran going wherever my legs took me ignoring the sore feeling down below.

I ended up at the clubhouse next to the basketball court. I finally stopped running and just stood there catching my breath.

Once I was calmed down, I looked around and spotted a picnic table. I made my way over to it and sat on the table part. I stared down at the ground. Just then, the wind blew and sent a chill up my spine. I shivered. _Why exactly did I come down here? Don't tell me my panic attacks are back?_ I realized it's been a while since I drank. I could really go for one.

"Excuse me." I heard a voice say. I looked up, there was an older man making his way over to me. He was holding a camera. I have never seen him before. "Can you take a picture of me in front of the basketball court?"

I cocked an eyebrow. _What?_ "Uh…yeah, uh, sure." I got off the table and took his camera. "Kinda dark." I said.

"The flash will light it up."

"Okay." I said. I took his picture, then showed it to him. "That good?"

"Yeah, thanks." He put his camera in his pocket while still looking at me. "You new here?"

I took a deep breath before answering. "Uh, no. No, I been here a couple years now."

"Oh yeah? Me too. Never saw you before." There was a brief pause. "I'm lookin' for a new trailer actually. Mines old and small. I need, you know, more space? You know of any?"

I thought for a minute. "Actually, yeah I do. There was a woman up front that was looking to…I was gonna say sell." I let out a small laugh. "But her son moved in with someone and now his old trailer is available. That's all I know though. You'd have to talk to them."

"Can I get a name?"

"Shirley and her son's name is Stewart."

"Alright, thanks." He smiled. I gave a smile back. He didn't walk away, though, and I felt awkward.

"Well…I should probably—

"Hey, you wanna go to the concert with me this Saturday night?" He asked out of the blue. This place has a stage and sometimes people perform on Saturday nights if the weather is nice.

I blinked at him taking in what he just said. "Uh…no. I can't."

"Oh, come on." He laughed. "Have some fun for once."

"No. No, I can't." I let out a nervous laugh and waved. I wanted to tell him it was because I have a boyfriend but for some reason, I felt like I shouldn't. "I have to babysit my little sister." I lied.

"Your little sister, huh? How old are ya?"

"Twenty-two." I replied.

He nodded. "Well, maybe some other time then." He laughed.

I gave him a small smile. "Well, I gotta get home." I hurriedly walked away hoping that he didn't follow me home.

Once I was far enough away, I looked back and saw him shooting hoops. _That was weird as hell._

* * *

When I got home, my dad was still up. He looked up when I walked in. "Hey." I said when I saw him.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked in full concern.

I didn't answer right away. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Yeah." I nodded. "I just…want a drink." I opened the cabinet with the liquor and got out some vodka. I poured it into a glass with some ice and tonic water. I took a sip. _Oh, that's nice._

I heard my dad walk over to me. He kissed the top of my head. "Don't stay up too late, okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I gave him a smile. "Night, dad."

I sat on the sofa and sipped my drink. I started thinking about that guy. That was so weird. He definitely used that whole "photo thing" as an excuse to talk to me. And he asked me to a concert. I shivered. _Gross._ I raised my eyebrows and laughed.

I stayed there until I finished my drink, then I went in my room. I had to make it look like I went to bed before I leave.

I laid down on the bed. I had to be really quiet not to wake up my sister. I can't wait to see Daryl tonight. I really need him. Wonder how many condoms I should bring? Should we have sex at all? I mean…am I feeling up to it? I want to but my…I'm still feeling a bit sore. Maybe I should give it a rest. I still want to see my man regardless.

I waited maybe a half an hour, that's when I heard snoring from my dad and Michonne's room and knew he was asleep. I slowly and quietly got up. I grabbed a condom from my bag anyway, just in case. I was about to walk out the door when I remembered something. I had made that jell-o that I found for Daryl. I wanted to take it to him. I quietly got it out of the fridge and smiled. Then, I headed out the door being as quiet as possible.

I waited about a minute after I walked off the porch to see if anyone heard me and got up. So far, they didn't. I knew I had made it when I got to the end of the driveway. I suddenly became excited. _Well, here goes._

* * *

 **Happy 4th of July!**


	21. Women's Intuition

I stood outside Daryl's trailer. It was dark inside, which made me nervous. Maybe I waited too long and he went to bed. I held my fist up ready to knock but stopped myself. _What's wrong with you? Why are you so scared?_ I decided to just do it. Biting my lip, I knocked on the door. I heard a commotion shortly after then the door opened. I could just see him in the darkness. "Hi." I smiled.

"Hey." He said. "Come on inside. It's cold." He put his hand on my back and kind of pushed me inside, then put a lamp on. I stood there for a minute looking around. Daryl's place was about the same size as mine. Maybe smaller. It seemed…homelike though. "What's 'at?" Daryl asked referring to the bowl I was holding.

I looked down at it before answering. "I…made you some jell-o." I smiled.

He smirked. "You and that damn jell-o." He took it from me and put it in the fridge. "Thanks." He kissed my forehead making me smile.

There was a brief pause. "It was so dark in here, I thought you went to bed or something."

"Nah." Daryl answered roughly. He was giving me a weird look. "Ya okay? Ya sound like you was cryin'."

I really don't want to talk about that right now. I was glad my dad didn't ask any questions when I got back. "It's nothing." I shook my head sighing. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Up to you." Was all he said. "How ya feelin'? You know, down there?"

"Uh…it's still a little sore." I admitted. "I think I'll be alright though."

"No." He shook his head. "We ain't doin' nothin' then. I ain't hurtin' ya no more."

My eyes widened. "But Daryl, I'm fine—

"No." He snapped. I was taken aback, I think he noticed because his expression softened. He walked closer to me and kissed my forehead. "I ain't hurtin' ya." He said seriously.

I finally understood and just nodded. "Okay. Well…we could…do other things though." I smiled.

"Like what?" He looked down at me.

I grinned at him. "I could give you a blow job." My grin spread wider.

He looked away with raised eyebrows looking uncomfortable like he does. It made me laugh. "Ya don't have to."

"Oh, I want to." I smiled lasciviously at him and giggled. "So, what do you say?" I grabbed his hands and put then over my breasts. My hand moved down to his cock, I felt him get hard. He was giving me an intense stare. I just proceeded to unbuckle and unzip his jeans then pulled the material down as I lowered myself onto my knees. I smiled up at him while going down. I finally pulled his boxers down and his erection was free. I had an immature thought that it reminded me of a jack in the box and almost laughed out loud.

I traced his length with my finger and smiled up at him one last time. Daryl looked kind of nervous. I was a little nervous myself, I have never done this before. I started by licking the tip. _Not bad._ I thought. I let him inside my mouth but not completely. I pulled back so he was out and looked up at him. I again pushed him inside my mouth but let him in farther this time. Then, I licked the tip again. I repeated that but faster this time.

I kept doing that over and over again. In and out a few times then lick. I felt Daryl tense up, he had one hand on the counter. "Abby." He said. I ignored him. "Abby, I'm gonna—" Before he could finish that sentence, I felt liquid hit the back of my throat. I just swallowed without thinking about it. _Salty._ I thought. I smiled up at him, then stood up wrapping my arms around his neck. Daryl was giving me a hard stare. "You done that before?"

"No." I answered. "That was the first time." I gasped. "Was I good?" I got excited.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Real good. It's like ya ain't got a gag reflex."

I grinned from ear to ear at his compliment. Resting my head on his chest, I started thinking. I wish we could have sex. I was disappointed. I gave him a sad look. "I wish we could…I know you don't want to but I wish we could."

"It ain't that I don't want to. It's that I don't wanna hurt ya." Daryl said lowly. He kissed me between my eyes softly. It made me feel warm inside and I smiled.

"Let's go to bed." I looked up at him. He nodded.

Just then, he scooped me up causing me to giggle and carried me to his bed.

It was a real cold night, I snuggled up close to Daryl taking in his scent, his touch, his everything. I want to tell him that I love him but I don't know if it's the right time. I just remembered about that guy from earlier. I giggled. I want to see his reaction to that. "Oh yeah. So earlier, I took a walk and this older guy came over to me and asked me to take a picture of him," I made a weird face, "then he asked me if I knew about any available trailers. And then he asked me to the concert this Saturday night." I laughed.

He turned to me quickly. "What? What'd you tell him?"

"Uh, no." I gave him a weird look and laughed.

Daryl stared at me for a moment. "He try anythang with you? Cuz I'll kill 'im."

"Oh, Daryl, calm down." I waved. "He didn't so anything. And he was nice about it."

"He could 'a." He seemed angry. I didn't take Daryl as the jealous type. I smirked. "And I don't give a shit who he is. I don't want him around my girl. I don't want NO one hittin' on my girl. " He pulled me closer. I smiled.

"Yeah, well, the same goes for you, Mr. Dixon." I touched his lips. "I don't want any other girls around you."

"You ain't gotta worry about that." He nodded. "Not my ugly ass. It's you I gotta worry about. Yer too damn gorgeous." He kissed my forehead. "I don't know what ya see in me."

I gave him a look. I don't like when he talks about himself like that. It really makes me mad. "I hate when you say stuff like that about yourself. You're not ugly, so stop saying it." I scolded him. "I think you're sexy as hell." I pushed his hair back and kissed his cheek.

"Yeah." He sighed. He didn't sound convinced. "So…what was ya upset about?"

"What?" I looked up at him.

"You was cryin' earlier. Why?" He pushed.

I blinked at him a few times. "I said, it was nothing."

"Don't lie to me." He gave me a serious look. "What was it?"

I stared at him. _Should I tell him? I mean…I really didn't want to talk about it. But I have to tell him something. I might as well then._ I cleared my throat. "I…I was gonna read to Judith tonight. She didn't want me to though. Said she was too old for that now." I let out a small laugh. "But then…she started asking questions about my mom." I paused for a minute. "I told her that she used to sing this song to Carl, and then…she asked me to sing it. I did. Then, I got real emotional." I shrugged and looked down sadly.

I heard Daryl exhale sharply through his nose. "Sorry, baby." He spoke gently. He started playing with my hair, rubbing the ends of it. I liked it a lot. I just smiled and laid my head on his chest. _I love him._

* * *

I woke up on my own the next morning. That was probably the best sleep I have ever had. It was because Daryl was with me. I smiled and stretched. It was still pretty early. "Hi, beautiful." Daryl greeted me with a kiss on the forehead. "Sleep good?"

"Yes, I did." I smiled. "I always do when I'm with you."

"Me too."

I smiled. "Were you just watching me sleep the whole time?"

He smirked because he knew he was caught. "No, not the whole time. Since I got up at six." I smiled at him. There was a brief pause. "Want some breakfast?" Daryl asked me.

I sat up a little. "I would love some but…I should probably get home." I gave him a disappointed look. "I want the thrill of sneaking back into the house without anyone noticing." I laughed. I suddenly thought of something. "Unless…you wanna fuck?" I smiled.

I actually think he almost laughed. "As much as I want to…just give yerself another day, alright?"

I was disappointed and a little annoyed but I know it's only because he cares for me. "Okay." I smiled. I stood up and threw my pants on, then Daryl followed me to the door. We tightly embraced and gave each other a long goodbye kiss. "Can we meet up somewhere later?" I looked up at him with my big eyes. "Or I could just come here?"

"Sure, yeah." He nodded. "Whatever you want."

I smiled. I don't know why he always leaves everything up to me? I mean…it's really sweet of him but I don't _always_ have to be the one making the decisions. I decided to just not say anything about that. "Okay." I smiled sweetly. "I'll come by later then." He nodded. I opened his door and walked down the steps but turned back around. I blew him a kiss. His mouth set into a thin line. _He doesn't like that mushy stuff._ I thought and laughed.

* * *

I walked up the ramp to my porch and opened the door. It wasn't locked. _Good._ That means no one has gotten up yet. I practically tiptoed inside and took a peek. The main room was empty. _Yes!_ I opened the door being as quiet as possible, then went straight into my and Judith's shared room.

Once the door was closed, I knew I had made it. I smiled to myself while laying down in my bed. I waited a few minutes to see if anyone got up, but they never did. I grinned wildly. I have successfully completed my first "sneak out" with Daryl.

I laid back with my hands behind my head. The only thing that would have made this moment better, is if Daryl and I would have had sex before I left. However, I might have gotten caught on my way in because it would have been longer.

I wasn't going to go to sleep, I was already well rested, but I figured I would just lay here for a bit. At least until I heard someone else get up. That way, it will look like I'm still sleeping. _Mmm._ I started thinking. _Maybe I should make breakfast. Good idea!_ I hopped out of bed and headed into the kitchen.

I decided to make scrambled eggs. As I was making them, I thought about Daryl. He asked me if I wanted some breakfast. Maybe I should have stayed there and had breakfast with him. The thought made me sad. Surely, we would have tons of meals together in the future, but…I don't know. Something made me feel bad about it and I wanted to just go back over there. I couldn't though. I became saddened.

Just then, I heard my dad and Michonne's door open but I like didn't pay it any mind. I was deep in thought or something. "I was just coming to do that." I heard my dad say. I looked at him.

"Oh, hi, daddy." I smiled. "And it's all good." I shrugged. "I don't mind making breakfast."

"Well, thanks." He kissed my temple. I just gave him a small smile.

* * *

The four of us ate breakfast together and talked. I usually don't eat breakfast, mainly because I'm not a morning person and I sleep in and miss it. However, it was kind of nice, you know? Eating together as a family. I missed this. "Have any plans today?" My dad asked.

"Kind of but not really." I said taking a long sip of my orange juice. No one knows this but I put some vodka in there. _Mm. Screw drivers are so good._

"What's that mean?" My dad asked me.

"…well, I was gonna see if Tess or Carrie maybe wanted to do something today." I lied.

"Oh, that would be good." My dad said. "Maybe you can take Judith and they can bring Megan and those two can play at the playground while you girls are hanging out." He suggested.

I bit my lip. _I was only using that as an excuse to go see Daryl. What was I going to do now?_ I was about to say something but Judith spoke first. "I don't wanna go to the playground. That's for babies. I don't wanna do that stuff no more." She crossed her arms and walked off into her room. The three of us shared a look.

"So…what's up with that?" I pointed at her closed door. "She goin' through some early puberty or something?" I joked.

"I don't think that would happen as early as five. Maybe eight or nine but not five." Michonne said. I glanced at her.

My dad sighed. "I don't know what's goin' on with her. Maybe you can get it out of her?" He looked at me while he sipped his coffee.

"Maybe. But I doubt it." I raised my eyebrows. I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth. While I was doing that, I remembered when Daryl and I brushed our teeth together back at that cottage. That was the morning after my first orgasm. I smiled.

Once I was done with that, I realized I had to pee. So, I just sat down when…I. Saw. The. Worst. Thing. Ever. There was a spot of blood in my underwear. I stared at it wide-eyed. _No! No! No! I was supposed to finally get to do it with Daryl again today!_ And I refuse to have sex while on my period. This ruins everything. I pounded my feet on the floor. "Damnit!" I said out loud.

"You alright in there?" I heard Michonne ask from the other room.

I didn't answer right away. "Yeah, I'm fine." I sighed. I finished up in there and went back out holding a roll of toilet paper. "I'm going down to the bathhouse." I said disappointingly. I heard my dad laugh.

"Well, when you get back," Michonne started, "I want to finally have that talk." My eyes widened and I turned slowly to her.

"What talk?" My dad looked from the both of us.

"Just lady stuff." Michonne answered. She sipped her coffee and gave me that look.

"Oh." I finally said. "Okay." I swallowed hard. _Now I'm nervous._ "Actually, I think I'll take my shower while I'm down there." I let out a nervous laugh.

She just shrugged. "Well, I'll be here when you get back." She kind of smirked.

My shoulders slumped. _Damnit._ I needed to stall.

I went in my room after that to gather up my stuff for the bathhouse. "You're supposed to knock." My sister scowled at me.

"Excuse me?" I cocked an eyebrow at her and gave her an amused look. _Is she really trying to tell me?_ I closed the door so I could have more room. "This is my room too and last time I checked…you were a kid and don't need privacy." I let out a laugh. She was still giving me that look. I rolled my eyes. _I am TOO damn old to be sharing a room with my little sister._

I continued going through my stuff. This is not going to be great. Michonne wants to talk about me and Daryl no doubt. I have been trying to avoid that conversation as much as I can. I don't see why it's any of her business anyway? I sighed.

"What are those?" I heard Judith ask. I looked up from what I was doing to see what she was talking about. She was looking at the box of feminine supplies I was holding.

"What? These?" I held them up. "These are tampons. I have my period." I gave her a stupid look.

"What's a period?" She looked at me in confusion.

I stared at her for a second almost looking shocked. Then I remembered, she's just a kid and I know no one has told her yet. "Oh yeah, that's right." I said. "You don't know about that stuff yet."

"Will you tell me?" She sat up looking me in the eye. I could tell she was very interested.

"Well, uh…it's this thing that happens to girls every month…" I stopped myself. _I wonder if I should tell her? I mean…I was younger than her when I found out but…that was me. I think I remember crying?_ I shook my head and sighed. _I'm just gonna tell her._ "Anyway, it's when the lining of your uterus sheds…and you bleed…out of your vagina."

"What?" She looked scared. I almost felt bad because I remembered back when we learned about it in health class, even though I already knew what it was. However, mine was nothing like what they said it would be. It was awful. A nightmare.

"It's okay." I tried to reassure her. "I know it sounds scary but it's supposed to be a good thing. It makes you feel more grown up. More like a woman than a girl." I nodded. I wished I hadn't said that last part because I saw something light up in her eyes.

"When will I get my period?" She asked next. I somehow knew that question was coming.

I scoffed. "You shouldn't have to worry about that for like another six to seven years. So, enjoy it while you can." My eyes widened. I folded a towel and sat it on the bed. "But I really don't know, kid. Everyone's different."

"Well…how old were you when you got your period?" She looked at me innocently.

"I was…eleven." I said thinking. "Yeah, I remember it was the second to last day of fifth grade." I smirked.

"Well, then," Judith crossed her arms in front of her and smiled, "then I hope I get mine when I'm ten so I can beat you."

I raised my eyebrows. "Alright, kid. Sounds good." I said sarcastically. _She'll be wishing she never said that once she gets hers._ I thought. I looked at all my stuff on the bed. I think I have everything I need. I was about to put it in my bag when I saw all the boxes of condoms in there. _Damnit._ I said.

I had a thought just then. _I should keep all of these at Daryl's house. It's safer to have them there than here._ I'm just gonna take them all with me. "What's that?" My sister asked again. I realized she saw inside my bag. _Shit!_

"Uh…nothing." I shook my head and hurriedly closed my bag. _There's no way I'm telling her about that yet!_ I gathered up my stuff and was about to walk out the door.

"Hey, sissy?" Judith stopped me. I turned to her. "You have your period." She giggled.

My shoulders slumped. _I guess she's done with that grown up shit?_ "Yeah." I said annoyed. _I really need my own room._

* * *

I felt a lot better after taking a shower. However, I was not looking forward to heading back home and finally having that conversation with my step mom. I was so nervous as to what she would say. I wish I had something else to do to stall longer. I mean…I could just go for a long walk or something, but that would make it obvious to her that I'm avoiding her and it would also be kind of rude.

I sighed while looking at my reflection in the mirror. I smoothed my eyebrows, then finally walked out the door. I wish my hair was more dried, I hate walking home in the cold with wet hair.

Someone was standing there when I walked out of the bathhouse. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw that it was Daryl. "Oh, hey." I smiled.

"Sorry, if I scared ya." He said. "I saw ya go in so I thought I'd wait out here."

"You didn't scare me." I laughed. "And you didn't have to wait out in the cold for me." I smiled. There was a slight pause. I looked around briefly then, beckoned him to come closer. I backed up against the wall so we were more out of sight. He took the hint and kissed me. It gave me good feelings. We have only been away from each other for a few hours but even that's too long.

We finally pulled apart and just looked at each other. I smiled warmly at him. Then, I had a feeling down below and remembered something. My smiled faded. "I have some bad news." I said sadly. He gave me a serious look. "It's not like that. I just, uh, well…I got my period this morning."

He just stared at me for a minute then cleared his throat. "That it?"

"What do you mean, is that it?" I gave him a stupid look. "That means we can't have sex. For at least five days!"

"Why not?"

Now I got a little annoyed. "Because I just don't want to."

Daryl was looking a little nervous now. He swallowed hard. "It won't bother me. Does it bother you?"

I hesitated. I never had sex while on my period, so I really don't know. I just think it will feel weird to me. Plus, my periods are always really bad, so I don't think I will even feel like it. "I just…" I trailed off.

"It's okay. Ya don't gotta explain." He shook his head. "Whatever you wanna do." He kissed my forehead. I smiled.

"Okay." I nodded and smiled. "Can…I still come over tonight?"

"Hell yeah." He said. "And ya don't gotta ask. Like I said, whatever you wanna do."

 _He's such a gentleman._ I smiled sweetly. Just then, I had a nagging thought and remembered about Michonne. "Hey, I gotta go." I said. "Michonne told me she wants to talk to me about something." I rolled my eyes.

Daryl looked nervous. "Ya thank it's about us?"

"What else?" I said sarcastically. He looked even more nervous after that. "Look, I'm gonna try my best to convince her but if she knows then…she knows." I shrugged. "It's different for women, I know my dad is clueless about us but Michonne…mothers can always tell when their daughters are having sex." I swallowed. "Well, even though she's not my mom, she's still _a_ mom. It's like women's intuition or something." I shook my head. "So, yeah…" I trailed off. Daryl was kind of giving me a stupid look. "What?"

"What do ya mean, 'what'?" He snapped. "You know no one can know."

"Yeah, but…if they did, would it really be that bad? I mean…we wouldn't have to sneak around anymore and we could move in together." I smiled. He was glaring at me. I sighed and became serious. "Okay. I'll make sure she never finds out." I nodded. "She won't." I looked up at him with my big eyes. "Please don't be mad at me."

His expression seemed to soften. "I ain't." He finally said. I relaxed a little. "Com'ere." He gently pulled me to him and we kissed. I was so happy that was over. "Alright." He said when we finally let go of each other. "Go. Get outta here." He slapped my bottom. I giggled.

I began walking away but turned back around. "Bye, Daryl." I said sweetly.

* * *

Michonne was sitting at the table reading a book when I walked in. She looked up when she saw me but didn't say anything. "Hey." I said with a sigh. I looked around. "Where's my dad?"

"He went to go talk to Glenn and he took Judith with him." She looked back down at her book.

I just nodded. "Sorry I took so long, I ran into a friend and talked to them for a minute." I half lied.

"That's fine." She closed her book. "Was the friend's name Daryl?" She was looking at me wide-eyed. _Oh, so we're getting right into this?_ I bit my lip. She got up and stood in front of me. "Huh?"

I hesitated. _What was the harm in telling her we just talked?_ "…Maybe." I shrugged. She crossed her arms and smirked at me. "What?" I gave her an annoyed look.

"I'm just gonna say it," she started, "Abby, are you and Daryl fooling around?"

"No." I answered too quickly. _It wasn't a complete lie. I don't look at it that way. We're not hooking up. We're in love._

"Really? Because the two of you sure have been spending a lot of time together."

"So?" I shrugged. "We're good friends. We've been close ever since the prison attack…when we got out together."

"Mhm." She nodded. "And what about what Judith said that night? At the cottage?"

I got a little angry and defensive. "Judith is a little kid that has no idea what she's talking about. We went hunting that day for rabbits."

"Okay. So, where was the rabbit?" Her question caught me off guard.

I swallowed hard. "We couldn't find any." I shrugged.

"Really because see, Daryl always comes back with something when he goes hunting." She gave me an accusing look. I could feel my face getting hotter. "And I know you're not telling me the truth because of how defensive you got just then. If you weren't guilty, then you would have been more calm about it."

"Maybe that's because I'm telling you and you're not believing me." I snapped.

"Because it's not the truth!" She snapped back taking me by surprise. She seemed to calm down a little. "I'm gonna ask you one more time, Abigail, and you better not lie to me." She was giving me a serious look. "Are you and Daryl fooling around?" She said each word carefully.

I bit my lip. _Remember what Daryl said, he doesn't want anyone to know. I think she already knows though. It might make things easier if she knows. And I kind of want to tell her. Daryl would be so mad though! I don't want to betray him. What should I do?_ I eventually made my decision. I shook my head. "No." I said, then cleared my throat. Michonne gave me an annoyed look. Before she said anything, though, I said, "we're in love."

Her eyes widened. "You're in love?" She said it like she doesn't believe me. _Unbelievable! Even when I tell her the truth she doesn't believe me!_ I thought angrily.

"That's right." I squinted at her. "And I'm an adult, so I don't want to hear anything you have to say about it unless it's to be happy for me. For US."

"Do you know who Daryl is?" She said wide-eyed.

"Yeah, I do." I answered too quickly again. "He's my man."

She was giving me a look of disbelief. "And your father's best friend."

I sighed heavily. "Yeah, I know. That's why we didn't want anyone to know."

Michonne scoffed. "Are you even hearing me? Have you given any thought of how your dad would feel about this?"

"Yeah, I actually have." I nodded backing up a little. "And we're not letting it stand in the way of our love. _I'm_ not." I said roughly.

"Alright, we'll see about that." She cleared her throat. "So, what do you plan on doing now?"

Her question confused me. "…uh…nothing. I'm gonna continue to see my man." I stated matter of factly. She was giving me a look, I realized why she was looking at me that way. My eyes widened. "You're not telling him!" I snapped. "I'm an adult, I'm twenty-two years old and I know what I'm doing. It's my business and _I_ will tell _my_ dad when _I'm_ ready. And even besides that…Daryl and I really like each other."

Michonne was quiet for a long time. She was nodding her head and had a small smile on her face. "Okay. Okay, we'll leave it at that then. If that's really what you want."

I relaxed a little. "It is." I nodded. "I'm not ready for my dad to know. I wouldn't even want to tell him if it was someone besides Daryl and my own age." I sighed. "Even though I am an adult, I don't want him to know that I'm doing…that…yet." I looked at her more seriously. "It's a father/daughter thing. You're a woman, you should understand that."

"Oh, believe me, I do." She eventually smiled.

I sighed in relief and smiled back. _I'm glad we understand each other._ "Thanks, Michonne."

"Of course." She spoke a lot softer now. "And if you ever need any advice, you know you can come to me. I'll do my best." She smiled. I just smiled back.

I picked my bag up off of the floor and took it into my room. Unpacking my stuff, I realized I didn't give Daryl those condoms. _Damnit!_ Oh well, I will just bring them tonight. _Oh my God! Daryl! He's going to be so mad when he finds out I told Michonne! Maybe I should just not tell him._ I thought for a minute. _No, I can't do that. I have to tell him. He's not going to be very happy about it at all. Maybe he won't be so mad when I tell him that Michonne promised she won't tell my dad? One can only hope._ I sighed heavily and laid back on my bed. "What a day."


	22. Window Pain

I didn't know if I should go talk to Daryl right now or if I should wait until later tonight. I finally decided on waiting until tonight when I sneak out to his house. I'm not looking forward to telling him about Michonne, that's for damn sure.

I was real quiet at dinner that night. I was feeling real nervous about tonight, I couldn't even swallow my food. "Abby?" My dad said. I looked up at him from my plate of food. "Why are you so quiet?"

I hesitated. "I don't know." I shrugged.

"You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I sighed. "I guess I'm just not hungry." I glanced at Michonne, we shared a look.

"Maybe it's cuz you have your period." Judith said loudly and giggled. I gave her an annoyed look.

"Judith." Michonne scolded her. "Don't say that."

"Why not?" She tilted her head to one side.

"Because some people don't wanna talk about it." I said to her. "That's private business. What if I told everyone that you're a bed wetter?" I cocked an eyebrow and smirked.

"I don't do that!" She yelled.

I scoffed. "Alright. Tell that to your bed stains."

Judith crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her face twisted and turned red. I knew exactly what was about to happen. "Mmm…" She started crying loudly. She got up and ran to our room crying.

I looked up and smirked at my dad and Michonne. They were both giving me looks. "What?" I said and sipped my drink. "She was asking for it." I laughed.

"And you're supposed to be the mature one." My dad said and looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"I am the mature one…sort of." I smiled smugly and leaned back with one leg on the bench seat.

My dad looked at me for a second, then called Judith. "Judy, come back out here and finish your dinner. It's okay." I heard a commotion in the back and then she came back into the room. She stood there giving me an angry look with her cry face. I almost laughed but I knew that would just make her more mad. Just then, she smacked my leg. I was surprised but didn't react to it. So, she did it again. I put my leg down. "Now you _can_ go to your room." My dad said to her. She looked at him in surprise. "We don't hit each other." He scolded her. I wanted to smirk but I hid it.

"But, daddy, she—

"Go, Judith." He pointed. She was just standing there. I was wondering why she wasn't listening. When I looked at her face I realized it was because she was embarrassed. I started to feel bad.

"Dad, it's okay. It didn't even hurt." I said.

"It doesn't matter." He said to me. "You and Carl got in a lot of trouble for fighting when you two were little, so the same thing is going to happen now." He turned to my sister. "Judith, wash her plate and then go to your room." He said seriously.

I could tell she was at her breaking point. She had a brief temper tantrum but eventually washed her plate. Then, she turned to everyone else. "Judith, go." He pointed.

She started crying again. "You love her, but you hate me!" She yelled then ran to our room. I noticed she left the door open.

I looked at my dad with raised eyebrows. He sighed. "Where did she hear that anyway?"

"I told her." I shrugged. "She asked me what it was, so I told her."

"Don't you think she's a bit young?"

"No." I gave my dad a stupid look. "I was younger than her when I found out about it."

He sighed again. "Well…are you feeling okay?"

"I was but now I'm starting to get cramps." I put the last of my dinner in my mouth. "I'm gonna go lay down for a bit." I stood up taking my plate to the sink. I was about to wash it.

"Just leave it." Michonne said to me. "I'll take care of it."

"Are you sure? I can do it."

"No, that's alright. Feel better." She said.

"Thanks."

"What?" I heard my sister yell from our room. "I have to wash my stuff and she doesn't? No fair!"

"Judith." Michonne scolded.

I sighed. "Kids." I said to Michonne. She kind of smiled. "Well, I'm going to lay down now." I didn't get but one step when my dad said something to me.

"Abby, please don't bother her." He said making me stop.

I gave him a surprised look. _Me_ bother _her? I think it's the other way around._ Then, I got annoyed. "Wow, dad. Really?" I gave him a look. "Okay." I walked away into our room. I closed the door and laid down.

"I don't want you in here." Judith said. I ignored her. "I said, I don't want you in here!"

"Well, too bad. I wanna lay down."

"Well, go lay down somewhere else. I would but…I can't." She said angrily.

I scoffed. "Don't feel so grown up now, do ya?" I teased her.

She shot me a glare. "I hate you!" She rolled over facing away from me.

"Yeah, I know." I said calmly.

"I hope you die! I wish you would've died and not Carl!"

I was so surprised she said that. "Thanks, kid." I said. "That's real nice."

"It's you not me." She said childishly.

"I don't hate _you_." I looked at her wide-eyed even though she couldn't see me. "I'd never say that to you." I sat up with my legs on the edge of the bed. "But I'll leave you alone then." I slipped my boots on and left the room.

* * *

I decided to go for walk after that. I know my sister is just a little kid and she doesn't realize what she said or even mean it, but…it still kind of hurt. Children can be cruel. I sighed while walking. I remember thinking that before back at that cottage with Daryl.

I ended up by the "shop" at the front of the park. I decided to look around to see if there was anything in there that we needed back home. I think we are almost out of hand soap so I grabbed one of those. And Michonne said something about dish towels so I grabbed a few of those too. There was actually a bunch of items in there that I could take but we had to be generous, so I only took what we really needed.

When I was done with my shopping, I took my stuff up to the front. Bill was working there today. "Hi, Abby." He greeted. "How are you today?"

"I'm alright. How about yourself?"

"Good." He pulled his notebook to him. "So, soap and towels?" He pointed at them with his pen. He wrote them down in the notebook along with my name. We are supposed to keep track of everything that's taken from the store.

I looked up just then and spotted a bag of candy sharks. _Judith likes them._ "Let me get one of these, too. My little sister likes them."

"Okay." He wrote them down. "Alright. You're all set." He smiled.

"Thanks." I smiled back. I took my stuff and left.

As I was walking, I heard someone call me. "Hey." They said. I looked around. Finally I spotted a man leaning against a fence.

"Oh." I said. He started making his way over to me. I realized it was that guy from before. Brian? I think that was his name? _What the hell does he want? I don't want to talk to him._

"Hey, Abby, right?" He smiled. I nodded. "Did you find anything else out about Shirley's trailer?"

 _What?_ I gave him a weird look. "Uh…no." I let out a small laugh. "Not to sound rude but…I didn't know I was supposed to. That's why I gave you their name's."

He just laughed. "Well, I haven't gotten a chance to talk to them yet. I saw you here and thought I'd ask. What a coincidence that I was just thinking about that and then, here you are." He smiled. I nodded. There was a brief pause. "On another note," Brian started, "I couldn't help but notice how stunning you look. Have you ever considered dating an older man?"

My jaw almost dropped open. _Did he really just say that?_ I was so creeped out. I wish my daddy was here. I just wanted to get out of this conversation and run. And, so, I said the first thing that came to mind. "I have a boyfriend."

He gave me the smallest smile and nodded. "Figured as much." He looked around briefly. "Well…if things don't work out with you and your boyfriend and you ever consider dating an older man, please consider me." He smiled creepily. I had no idea what to say to that so I just gave him a quick sideways smile and nodded. Then I turned and beat it out of there.

* * *

I arrived back home. My dad and Michonne were sitting at the table talking. They both looked up when I walked in. "Hey." I said and sighed. "I got some stuff." I put the items on the table.

"Oh good. You got dish towels." Michonne said. "Thank you." She picked them up and folded them. "And hand soap."

"What's the sharks for?" My dad asked.

"Those are for Judith." I answered.

"Oh." He smiled. "Well, that was nice of you." I just gave him a small smile, then sat down. I was acting strange and I knew they could tell. "Something wrong, baby?" My dad asked me lowly.

I hesitated, then kind of laughed. "An old, creepy man hit on me on the way home."

My dad raised his eyebrows. "An old man?"

"Not like an old man, like an _older_ man." I stated.

"Like how old?" Michonne asked.

"Like fifty." I scrunched my nose up. "He wasn't even hot though, like if he was, I probably wouldn't even have cared. But he was old, gross and creepy."

My dad and Michonne laughed. "What was his name?"

"Brian."

"Wait, he didn't do anything to you, did he?" My dad asked more seriously.

"No. I mean…he was nice…but he was creepy too." I said. They laughed again. "You're gonna have to start walking around with me again, daddy. Guys never bothered me when you were with me. You scared them away." I joked.

My dad laughed. "If you want me to go places with you, I will. I'll keep those creepy older men away from my baby." He smiled.

* * *

Way later that night after everyone went to bed. I left and headed to Daryl's house. I really didn't sneak out that night, I kind of just left. I mean…if one of them questioned me, I could just say I took a walk or something. I really don't think they would even care. Michonne already knows anyway.

I knocked on Daryl's door and waited for him to answer. It didn't take long. "Hi." I smiled sweetly.

"Hi, baby." He stood aside so I could come in. "How ya feelin'?"

"I'm fine." I smiled. We stood there for a minute. "Oh, I, uh…brought over my bag of condoms." I held it up. "I figured…they're probably safer over here."

"Alright." He nodded. He took the bag from me and set it down. "C'mere." He pulled me to him making me giggle and kissed me hard.

"Well, hello." I said once we pulled apart. "Is it my birthday or something?" I laughed. "You miss me?"

"All the time." He started kissing my neck. It was really turning me on. My breathing quickened. Just then, I realized what he was doing.

"Hold up. Freeze, Romeo." I stopped him. He gave me a weird look. "I know what you're doing. You're trying to convince me to have sex with you. Well, I already told you, I'm not doing that right now. I can't." I crossed my arms over my chest.

He sighed. "I figured it was worth a shot."

"Yeah, I know." I raised my eyebrows and laughed. "Well, we can do what we did last time." I smiled. He just looked at me. "Drop your pants." I laughed.

* * *

We laid together on Daryl's sofa and just held each other. I played with the hair on his chin. I don't know why but I just really liked that. He seemed like he liked it too. "This is nice." I smiled. "I just love being with you."

"Me too." He kissed my forehead. I grinned warmly. He makes me feel so nice. He's the only man for me. _My older man._ I almost gasped just then because I remembered about Brian. I have to tell him again.

"Oh yeah. Remember that guy that hit on me the other day?" I asked him.

"Yeah?" He asked roughly.

I almost laughed. "I saw him again today. You were right about him."

Daryl sat up a little with me still on him, so I had to get up too. "What do ya mean?"

"Well…he told me I was stunning and asked me if I ever considered dating an older man." I giggled. "I told him I had a boyfriend and then he was like, if things don't work out, and you ever consider dating an older guy, please consider me." I made him sound more desperate than what was true. "He was creepy." I finished. Daryl looked angry when I looked at him.

"Imma kill 'im." He finally said. "You better hope I don't ever see him around cuz…you won't be seein' him anymore."

I laughed. "Daryl, he was nice. But a little creepy. And you don't even know what he looks like."

"Well…if he bothers ya again, just tell me and I'll take care 'a him." He said roughly.

"Okay." I rolled my eyes.

"Don't roll yer eyes at me. I'll have to put ya over my knees." He joked. I was glad he was back. I laughed and then we kissed each other. I touched his face and smiled.

"Hey, you hungry?" Daryl said randomly. "I got some leftover stew."

I blinked at him. "It's like past midnight." I let out a small laugh.

"So? I'm hungry."

I shrugged. "Okay. Yeah, what the hell." I laughed.

* * *

Daryl and I sat at the table and ate our late night stew. I'm not used to eating this late, unless it's a snack. I have to admit, though, it tasted very good. Daryl sure is a good cook. "This is good." I told him.

"Yeah? Ya like it?"

"Mhm." I nodded. "You must be good at cooking."

He shrugged. "I'm alright, I guess. I'd rather have some of your pancakes."

I giggled. "Yeah, right?" I shook my head. There was a brief pause. "So, do you always eat this late?"

He shrugged again. "I just eat whenever I feel like it." He said with a mouthful of food. I smiled. I always have a good time when I'm with him. I just want to move in with him now. I'm going to make a hint.

"I hate having to share that small space with my sister." I said out of nowhere. "I have like no room for anything." Daryl just looked at me. "It's so frustrating."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." I rolled my eyes. "…so…could I maybe move some stuff over here?"

"Sure, yeah, if ya want." He shrugged.

"Really? You don't mind?"

"Nah. I'd like to see you more."

I smiled at him sweetly and kissed his cheek. We were quiet for a minute. "So, speaking of my sister, you know what Judith said to me today?"

"What?"

"She got mad at me and said she hopes I die." I raised my eyebrows. He turned his head quickly to look at me. "Yeah." I nodded.

He didn't say anything for a minute just looked to and from me and his food. "She's just a kid. She don't really mean that." He shook his head.

"Oh, I know. But that doesn't mean it didn't hurt." I widened my eyes. "I'm pretty sure I never said anything like that to my parents or brother. I've never said that to anyone." I looked down. "And to think I rewarded her with candy."

Daryl snorted. "And you called me a pushover?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I know." I sighed.

We finished our food and I took the plates and stuff to the sink and started to do them but Daryl stopped me. "Don't do the dishes." He said. I turned and gave him a weird look. "Ya don't need to. I'll take care 'a that in the mornin'."

"Alright." I smiled. He kissed my forehead, then reached around me and grabbed a toothpick.

"Oh yeah, what ever happened with Michonne?" He asked me while picking his teeth. I froze just then and felt all the blood drain from my face. _I completely forgot about that._

"Uh…well…she did ask me about us." I said nervously. I could hear my voice shaking. Daryl looked at me when I didn't continue. He was waiting for an answer. I nervously bit my lip and tapped my fingers together.

"And?" He pressed.

I swallowed hard. _He's gonna flip out._ I took a deep breath. "She knows."

He stopped and just looked at me. "What?"

I started shaking my head. "I know you didn't want her to know but…I had to tell her."

He stood up so quickly that it scared me. "Ya had to, huh?" He yelled. "Ya really couldn't 'a just said no?"

"Daryl?" I knew he would be angry but I didn't think he would scream at me like that. "You don't understand, you weren't there."

"Damnit!" He spun around. "I told you not to!"

"Daryl, I know you're mad but…she told me she won't tell my dad. She understood. It's okay." I spoke softly.

"No, it ain't okay!" He yelled in my face. "One thang! I wanted one thang from you and you couldn't just fuckin' listen!"

"Daryl." I touched his arm but he pushed me away. "I'm sorry. I don't get why you feel so strongly about this? I get it with my dad but why everyone else?" I looked at him sadly. He just glared at me. I had a scary thought just then. "You're embarrassed of me."

He gave me a stupid look. "Don't go there. Ya know that ain't it." He sounded more irritated now.

"No, I don't know that. And it sure seems like you are if you don't want anyone to know about us." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"That ain't it." He enunciated each word.

"Then why?" I snapped. "Tell me why?"

He got up and came close to my face. "Because yer a little girl!" He yelled. "Yer a little girl and I'm a man! You cain't see it my way!" From my point 'a view!" We just stared at each other. He finally backed away. There was a long, awkward silence between us.

"I'm not a little girl." I finally said. "I may be a lot younger than you…but I'm not a little girl." I leaned against the counter. "I had to."

"You didn't have to do nothin'." He spoke quieter but was still angry as all hell. He sat down on the couch. I stared down at the floor feeling somewhat guilty.

Another long silence passed. Finally, I looked back up at him, he was looking right at me. "Get out." He said roughly but quietly.

My eyes widened a bit. "What?"

"I said," he got up, grabbed my bag, dumped the condoms out and shoved it at me, "take yer shit and get the fuck out." He stared at me with intense eyes. I could tell he was still angry but his expression almost looked blank. I just looked at him in disbelief. _He's really kicking me out?_ I waited to see if he was going to change his mind, but he kept that look. I realized he was serious.

I turned slowly and walked to the door. I took my time in case he wanted to stop me. He never did though. I grabbed the handle of the door and opened it, then opened the screen door. It made a loud, squeaky noise. Once I walked down the stairs, I knew he wasn't going to call me back, so I left.

It started pouring as soon as I left his yard. _Really? Could have done without that!_ I just tightened my hoodie around me and cried. The thing was, I didn't want to go home, I needed to find somewhere else to go so I could cry. Somewhere that was also out of the rain.

I ended up by the clubhouse. I sat under a pavilion and just broke down. _Did Daryl just breakup with me?_ I sobbed. _Surely, he's just angry at the moment and he'll get over himself._ He sounded pretty mad though. Almost like I betrayed him. I started crying harder. I feel like I did something wrong.

I just laid on a picnic table under a pavilion in the rain at who knows what time and cried my eyes out.

* * *

I was feeling pretty depressed. I wasn't crying anymore but I felt numb. It was a long time that I laid there. An hour? Maybe two? I figured it was time for me to go home, the rain stopped so it was the perfect time.

I walked home not feeling myself at all. It was like I was this completely different person that I didn't like. I like who I am when I'm with Daryl. But this person that's not with him, I didn't like at all. The thought disturbed and depressed me even more.

I went into my room as soon as I got home. I took my wet clothes off and got under all my blankets being careful not to wake up my sister. I was freezing. I shivered. I hope I can get some sleep tonight.

Just then, I heard it start to rain again. I looked out my window and watched the raindrops slide down my window. _Huh._ I thought. _Window pane. More like window pain._

* * *

I opened my eyes and it was morning. I guess I must have fallen asleep, I don't remember but obviously I had to have. The first thing I thought about was Daryl and my depression was back.

I heard the others having breakfast but I didn't join them. I just laid there. They tried to get me up but I didn't budge or even tell them what was wrong.

I laid there all day. I got up once to use the bathroom but that's it. I went right back to my original spot. "Abby?" My dad knocked on the door. "You gonna come eat?" I couldn't do anything. Definitely not eat.

"No." I said weakly.

"Why not?"

"I just…can't."

My dad stood there for a minute, then I heard him sigh. "Alright." He walked into the room and closed the door. "What's goin' on?" He sat across from me on my sister's bed.

"I can't tell you." I wanted to tell him so badly though. I started to cry a little again.

"Why can't you tell me?" He spoke softly.

I sniffled. "…it involves a guy." I admitted.

My dad seemed hesitant. "…not that guy from yesterday?"

I gave him the stupidest look. _Is he serious?_ "No, dad. Not that guy." I said angrily. "And don't ask me who it is because I'm not telling you."

There was a slight pause. I heard my dad sigh again. "Okay. So, what happened?" He looked at me closely.

I breathed a little heavier thinking about last night. "We had an argument. I just don't want to talk about it."

My dad nodded. "Okay." There was a brief pause, then he got up and came over to my side and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'm here for you if you change your mind."

I'm glad to hear those words even though I can't tell him. I wish I could. That made me even sadder and I started sobbing. I moved my position and laid my head in his lap. He played with my hair and just let me lay there and cry.


	23. Peace Treaty

"Abby…why don't you go hangout with your friends today?" My dad tried. "It's a nice day and you've been…in here for the passed three days. Come on. You gotta get up and do something."

"No." I said sounding like a five year old.

"Baby, I don't know what's going on with you and…whoever…but you can't let someone keep you down like this. Now come on and get up." He rubbed my arm.

I knew he was right but it just hurt too bad. My heart aches. I have only been in one other relationship before Daryl and it didn't end well. His name was Damian and he broke up with me because I wouldn't have sex with him. I was crushed and I thought it was the end of the world, but…that was nothing compared to this. That wasn't true love, what me and Daryl have is. The thought depressed me even more and I felt sick to my stomach. "I can't, daddy." I said weakly. "I just can't. Not right now. Not yet."

I heard my dad sigh. "Okay." He eventually said. He kissed my temple, then left me alone.

I probably sounded and looked pathetic but I don't even care. The love of my life broke up with me. I thought…well, I hoped that he would come to get me and everything would be okay again, but…that was three days ago. I haven't even seen him in that long. I wonder what he is doing now? Is he wondering the same about me? Maybe he doesn't care, and he's still mad at me. Perhaps he has moved on already. The thought of Daryl with someone else just about put a knife through my heart. I don't know if I will ever be okay again.

About maybe a half hour later, Michonne came into my room. "Abby?" She said. "I wanna talk to you." She closed the door and sat down on Judith's bed. I almost rolled my eyes. She wants to talk to me? Last time she said that, I was forced to tell her about my now ex boyfriend. This is all because of her. She ruined everything. "I know you said you don't want to talk about it but I want to know what happened? Just tell me."

I hesitated for a long time. _She really wants to know, huh? If she only knew._ I thought. I slowly rolled over so I could face her. "I told him that you know about us and he got really mad and kicked me out. And we must be broken up now because I haven't seen him since." My voice was shaky.

She gave me a sympathetic look. "Listen, honey…I know you probably feel like it's your fault but—

"My fault?" I almost laughed. "This is your fault. If you wouldn't have been all in MY business, then this never would have happened." I knew I was being unfair and I didn't care. I didn't have to tell Daryl that she knew about us. I chose to.

"Abby." She gave me another look. "Just listen…he reacted in a childish way. This is has nothing to do with you, it has nothing to do with me. And he might just be mad right now and he'll eventually get over it."

"Oh yeah? For three whole days?" I was close to tears again.

"Yeah." She said quickly. "Guys like to have space when they're going through things. Us women, though, we like to talk about it. And that's one thing we don't understand about each other." She smiled and patted my leg. "Maybe he even feels really bad about what he did and that's why he hasn't come around." She shrugged.

I looked at her sadly while taking in everything she just told me. "You think?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I do." She smiled at me then. "Now, come on. Get up, eat something, take a shower and then go out for a little. Get some fresh air."

She's right. I nodded. "Okay, I'm coming. Just gimme a minute." She stood up and opened the door. "Michonne." I said to stop her, she looked back at me. "Thanks." I attempted a smile. She returned it.

I laid there thinking for a minute before I got up. Michonne is right about everything she said. Daryl did react in a childish way. And if that's the way he wants to be…then that's him. I didn't do anything wrong. And I bet he feels pretty stupid when he realizes. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and quickly slid on my boots, then went out to join the others.

* * *

After a nice hot meal and a shower, I was feeling a little better than I was before. I should still take my dad and Michonne's advice and get out for a bit. So, I decided to take Judith to the park and meet up with some friends there.

"Where have you been, girl?" Tess asked me. "We haven't seen you in forever."

"I know. I'm sorry." I apologized. "I was just…busy." I shrugged. I debated on whether or not I should tell them that I was dating someone but eventually decided against it because I knew they would ask too many questions.

"Well, we need to start hanging out more again." Carrie said.

I nodded. "I know." I glanced at my sister, she was playing with Megan on the playground. Carrie, Tess and Megan are all sisters. Megan is the same age as Judith and they really seem to like each other. Tess is closer to my age but I like Carrie better, who is the oldest. And then there's Brittany and Dana. They are pretty cool, too, but they're like best friends so they kind of talk more to themselves.

"So…Brittany is having like a little thing at her house tonight. Just us girls, you know?" Carrie informed me. "Maybe put on some music, a little drink." She giggled. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"I'll think about it." I just said to get her off my back. It's been a while since I went to a party. I don't know if even want to do that stuff anymore. I mean…it's a little different when I'm with my family.

"Well, you better come because it won't be any fun without you." Said Tess.

I let out a small laugh. "What would you guys do without me?" I joked.

"We'd be bored and lost." Carrie answered. We all laughed.

We hung out and talked for a little longer. It was kind of nice getting out and seeing some people my own age. I should probably get home though. Judith needs to eat lunch. "Well, I better go." I said to them. "See y'all tonight."

"Wait, so, you're coming?" Tess said.

I shrugged. "I guess so. I don't got anything else to do." I stopped just then because I reminded myself of Daryl the way I said that.

"You better, bitch." Carrie laughed. "And if you have any booze, bring it." They laughed. I let out a small laugh too, then went to get my sister.

"Judith." I called to her. She was playing on the monkey bars. "Time to go, kid." I got her down.

She put her hands on her hips. "You know, just cuz you're older than me doesn't mean you can boss me around. You're not my mom."

My shoulders slumped. "Come on, kid. I wanna go home and I can't leave you here. Besides, you gotta eat lunch."

"I ain't hungry yet. I'll come home when I wanna." She crossed her arms. "And I'm a big kid now. I'm almost six."

"You won't be six for another like four months. And that's still not old enough to go off on your own anyway." I cocked an eyebrow. She pouted. "Come on, Judith. Peace treaty?"

"What's that?" She gave me a stupid look.

"It's an agreement between two sides ending a dispute, so you and I with our arguing."

"You wanna stop arguing?"

"Yeah." I shrugged. "Arguing is stupid and annoying. Don't you agree?"

"Well, yeah, but…I only do it cuz you want to treat me like a little kid." She crossed her arms again.

"Judith." I was getting annoyed. "You are a little kid. You're only five. When I was your age, I wasn't even allowed to cross the street by myself." I saw the look on her face just then. "But," I crouched down to her level, "if you promise to respect me and my space, then I'll do the same for you. No matter how much younger you are. You are my sister after all. Us girls gotta stick together." I smiled.

She looked like she was thinking for a minute then she smiled back at me. "Okay." She finally agreed. "Peace treaty." _Thank God!_ I sighed in relief.

"Come on, let's go home." I put my hand on her back and guided her. "Maybe tonight we can have some fun. Like bake cookies or something." I had an idea just then. "Maybe we can make some homemade ice cream."

She looked up at me and gasped. "You can do that?"

"Of course." I said. "All we need is milk, vanilla, sugar, salt and ice. And plastic bags. We made it in silence class one time."

Judith got real excited after that. "Please, sissy! Can we?" She jumped up and down. "I've wanted to try ice cream since you guys told me about it!"

"You're gonna love it." I said to her.

"Hey, Abby." I heard someone call me on the way home. I turned, it was Brian again. _Damnit! What does he want now?_ "Is this your little sister?" He asked me.

"Yeah, this is Judith."

"Hi, sweetheart." He smiled.

"Hi." My sister said shyly.

"Two pretty girls." Brian said. I almost gave him a dirty look. "So, what are you up to now?"

"Uh…we're just heading home. To get some lunch." I hoped he would take the hint.

"Why don't you two come over to my house? I got some leftovers and it's just me there, so…"

"Oh, no. That's okay." I waved. "My step mom probably already has something made and is wondering where we are." I kind of laughed. My sister was eyeing us suspiciously.

"Step mom, huh?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow. _Why'd he say that like that?_

"Yeah." I said giving him a weird look. "It's my dad, step mom, sister and me."

"Big happy family." He said.

"…yeah, so, we gotta go." I turned and shoved my sister along.

"Alright, see you around, sweetheart." He called. I almost shivered.

"What was that about?" Judith asked once we were far enough away.

"Nothing. Just an older, creepy guy." I said.

* * *

"Hi, daddy!" Judith said once we got back home.

"Hi, sweetheart." He picked her up and kissed her then set her back down. "What'd you do today?"

"Just played at the playground with Megan." She said. "Oh, and on the way home, an old creepy guy asked me and Abby to go to his house."

I laughed. "What?" My dad gave me a look of concern.

"The same guy from before." I told him. "And he asked us if we wanted to come over for leftovers." I sighed.

"He better stay away from you." My dad said.

I agreed with my dad but I decided this was a perfect opportunity to tease him. "What? He just wants some of the young stuff." I shrugged. My dad gave me a look, then I busted out laughing. "I'm just kidding."

"Yeah, well…I don't like that."

"Sorry." I laughed. I gave my dad a quick hug. "I was just joking."

"It's okay. It's good seeing you back to yourself." He smiled and kissed my forehead.

I gave him a small smile back. "So, speaking of that…I might go out tonight."

"Out?" He questioned me.

"Yeah, with some friends."

"Not outside the walls I hope?"

"No." I gave him an annoyed look. "A few of us are just getting together at Brittany's house."

"Okay. That's good." He nodded. "Don't get drunk." He teased.

I gave him another look. "You know I'm going to though." I smirked. "And you're the one that told me to go out."

"Yeah." He sighed. "What I should have said was don't get _too_ drunk." He kissed my forehead again.

* * *

Way later, after we ate dinner, I was sitting at the table with Judith making the homemade ice cream like I promised. We poured some salt onto the ice cubes and then put the other bag with what will be our ice cream inside. "Now shake it up." I showed her. "Just like this."

"How long do we gotta so this for?" Judith asked impatiently.

"Until it looks done."

"How will we know that?"

"I'll know." I answered her.

"We been doing this forever." She said after literally one minute. "I thought you said this was instant." She pouted.

"It is instant, Judith. Everything takes time." I looked down at my bag. "Besides, you'll say it was worth the wait."

We shook our ice cream bags for a little longer, then finally they looked done enough for me. "Okay, ready?" I asked my sister. She nodded rapidly. I got my camera ready on my iPod, then handed her a spoon. She scooped a little up and then popped it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up and she gasped. I snapped the photo.

"It's so good!" She yelled and ate some more.

I laughed. "You like it?"

"It's the best thing I ever had!" She was so dramatic when she said it. I laughed, along with my dad and Michonne. She was eating it up.

"Slow down, girl. You're gonna get sick." I told her. I took a spoonful of mine. It was very good though. I don't even remember the last time I had ice cream.

Judith finished hers and panted. "I need more!"

"Here, you can have mine." I handed it to her. She downed that one as well. "So, did it live up to your expectations?"

"It was better than my expections!" She mispronounced the word. We all laughed.

My sister was in a great mood for the rest of the night. She was practically bouncing off the walls. She had to be carried to bed by my dad when she crashed from her sugar rush. "Well, that's one way to put her out." Michonne said.

"Yeah." Said my dad. They laughed. "Thank you, Abigail. For doing that for her." He hugged me and kissed my forehead. "I really appreciate that and so did she. It's nice that she got to have something from the old world."

I just looked at my dad for a minute, then finally shrugged. "It was no problem. I'm sure you guys would have done the same thing if you would have thought of it first."

"Yeah, well, still…thank you." He smiled.

I feel awkward sometimes when people thank me for things. I don't know why? It's like I don't know how to properly say "you're welcome" to someone. I gave him a small smile. "Don't thank me, thank Mrs. Hamilton."

"Who's that?"

"My sixth grade science teacher." I said with a laugh. They both laughed too. There was a brief pause after that. "Well…I better head out soon." I said.

"Dress warm." My dad told me. "It's really cold out there tonight." I just gave him a nod, then headed in my room.

I decided to leave my pair of black jeans on, but I changed my shirt. Then, I threw my hoodie over that. That should be good enough. I mean…we're probably going to stay inside and the walk from her house isn't that far.

My dad and Michonne must have moved into their room because they were gone when I came out. That's fortunate for me because now I can grab some alcohol without them seeing. I grabbed a bottle of vodka. No one in my house really cares for vodka, so this should be good. I headed out after that.

My dad wasn't lying when he said it was a cold night. I tightened my hoodie around me and shivered. "Fuck Winter. Fuck Winter. Fuck Winter." I said pretty much the whole way there. I wish I could skip to Summer time.

I knocked on Brittany's door. She answered it. "Oh hey, Abby." She said. "She's here." She called inside.

 _They must have been waiting for me._ "Hey." I said to her and stepped inside. Dana, Carrie, Tess, Bridget and Paige were all sitting around a table. They were all looking at me. "Hey." I said again.

"Better late then never." Tess said.

"Yeah, it was so late we thought you changed your mind about coming." Paige said and rolled her eyes. I don't like Paige that much.

"Yeah." I said and sat down with them. "So, what are you guys doing?"

"Playing King's Cup." Brittany answered. "Have you ever played?"

"Yeah, once but it was years ago with my friends. This one kid got real sick so we never played again." I said. I remembered that memory and made a sick face. It was disgusting.

"Oh, we don't play that way." Dana said. "We make up our own rules." She pointed at the wall. "See that wipe board up on the wall? The rules are written on it."

"Oh okay." I looked it over. It said:

Ace - All

Two - You

Three - Me

Four - One more

Five - Wives

Six - Single chicks

Seven - Heaven

Eight - Mate

Nine - Not Fine

Ten - Make them drink again

Jack - Safe

Queen - Categories

King - Rules

"So, an Ace is everyone has to drink?" I asked no one in particular. Someone said yeah. "Then, two is you pick someone to drink. Three is me. Four is…?"

"You take two drinks." Tess answered.

"Okay. Five is I'm guessing if you're with someone and six is if you're single. What's seven?"

"Heaven." Dana said and lifted her hands up. "The last person to do it has to drink. And eight is you and someone you pick has to drink with you."

"Alright." I looked back at the board. "What the hell is nine?"

"You have to drink until everyone says stop." Bridget finally said something. I gave her a look. I thought that was strange because she's usually the one that never shuts up. "Let me just explain the rest to you." She said. "Ten is you pick someone to drink and then they have to take two drinks. A Jack is a safe card, it will get you out of anything you choose. Queen is categories. So, if someone said…animals. Then everyone has to go around and say an animal until someone can't think of anymore, then that person would drink. And King is rules. You can change any rule you want for the remainder of that round. Like if someone said no one is allowed to say the word 'drink' throughout the game and you say it then you have to drink."

"Okay." I said. "I think I got it." The game sounds pretty stupid but I will give it a try…I guess.

"Can we please just play the game?" Paige said annoyed. Like I said, I don't like her that much.

"Alright, where'd we leave off?" Dana asked.

"Me." Paige said more annoyed. She picked a card then sat it down. "Two." She said. She looked right at me. "Abby." She picked me.

I just looked at her for a moment, then a small smile played on my lips. "Of course." I unscrewed the lid on the vodka I brought.

"Oh, Abby, there's glasses in that cupboard." Brittany pointed.

"I don't need no damn glass." I said sounding like Daryl again. I tipped the bottle and took a sip.

"Okay, my turn." Bridget said excitedly. She threw her hands up the air. I was the first to copy her. Carrie was last so she had to drink. The girls laughed.

"Abby's turn." Tess said.

I sighed and picked a card. "Ten." I took two drinks.

"Hey, you're supposed to pick someone else for that." Bridget said.

I looked at her. "I can't pick myself?"

"I guess you can but it's not how you're supposed to play." Paige said. "Kinda ruins the fun."

"I don't care." I shrugged. "I wanna get drunk."

Paige scoffed. "Of course you do." She raised her eyebrows and looked down at her nails. I just looked at her. I feel like her and I are going to have problems tonight.

Carrie picked a card next. "Safe, bitches!" She slapped down her Jack.

Tess picked a card. "Queen. So, categories. Hmm…" She was thinking. "Books!" She smiled.

"Ugh. Can't you pick something more interesting?" Paige said.

"Books are fine." I said to make Paige mad. She gave me a look.

"Okay, so…Romeo and Juliet." Tess said.

"To Kill A Mockingbird." Brittany said.

"Great Gatsby." Said Dana.

Paige folded her arms. "The only book I can think of is Queen Bees and Wanna Be's."

I almost laughed. "Junie B. Jones." Bridget laughed.

"The Outsiders." I said immediately.

"I knew you were gonna say that." Carrie lightly smacked my arm and laughed. "Night." She said. We were back to the beginning now. We went around one more time and when it got to me, I chose to drink just because I wanted that to end.

"Thank God." Paige complained. "Who's turn is it now?"

"Mine." Brittany said. She picked a card. "Mate." She looked at me. "I'll go with you, Abby, since you want to get drunk." She laughed.

"Hell yeah." We both took a drink.

"My turn." Dana said picking a card. "Six." She glanced at the board for a reminder. "So, single chicks."

I watched Paige, Bridget and Tess take a drink. Paige looked right at me. We made eye contact. "Uh, hello, Abby. Take a drink." She said to me. I knew she would.

"I ain't single." I stated. Not completely true since I didn't know what was going on with Daryl and I.

"Who are you dating?" Tess looked at me.

"He's an old friend." Was all I said.

"You liar." Carrie said and laughed.

I raised my eyebrows. "I'm not lying." I said with a laugh.

"How come we haven't seen him around then?" Dana asked. She didn't sound bitchy when she said it. She wouldn't. I got a feeling that Dana and Carrie are the smartest in the group.

"Well…" I started but trailed off. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I decided to just say it. "He's a lot older than me, so we've been keeping it on the down low. Know what I mean?" I said smoothly. I was definitely the coolest in the group.

"I think she's lying." Paige spoke up. "That's—that's such a lie." She shook her head with that stupid smile she has. "I don't believe you."

I snorted. "Okay, then don't believe me." I shrugged. "You think I give a shit?"

Paige gave me a dirty look. "Bitch."

"Okay, okay." Brittany said. "Let's not, please. Let's just get back to the game."

There was a slight pause. Paige was still staring me down. "…no." She finally said. "I gotta get home." She stood up and put her jacket on. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Everyone said bye to her except me. I waited until she was about to walk out the door. "See ya, Paige." I said to be a smartass. I didn't turn around when I said it, but I smirked at Carrie. I heard Paige kind of huff and then she left. I let out a short laugh, then took a drink.

"I am so glad she left." Brittany said. "That girl is such a bitch."

"I can't stand her sometimes." Bridget said. "She acts like she knows everything and everyone else is like so far beneath her."

"Right?" Brittany said. "And she thinks she can just drink my booze and not bring any herself?" She huffed. "I don't even like her that much." They laughed.

I just looked back and forth at them. See, this is what I don't like. They were just all "buddy buddy" with her when she was here then when she leaves, they talk shit on her? If they had a problem with her, why didn't they just say right then and there? Paige is annoying, no doubt, but at least she's not fake. "If you don't like her, what'd you invite her over for then?" I said to Brittany.

She gave me surprised look. "I-I don't know." She shrugged. "Cuz she's just always with us." She shook her head. "Let's just get back to the game."

We played a little longer and I grew more apathetic with every card. It wasn't that I wasn't into the game, I just wasn't in the mood for this right now. I would rather us just sit here and talk and drink. Bridget left shortly after.

"Your turn, Abby." Dana said.

"Huh?" I was deep in thought and she caught me off guard.

"You have to name a movie star. That's the category." She said.

"Oh, I don't know." I shrugged and just took a drink.

There was a brief pause. "You're so not into this game right now, are you?" Dana asked me.

I hesitated and gave them a slight smile. "It's not that. I just have some stuff on my mind. So…" I shook my head. "I don't really wanna play anymore."

"Well, we could play something else?" Tess suggested.

"Nah, I don't wanna play anything else either." I shrugged again. "I'd rather just sit here and talk and drink."

"Sounds good to me." Carrie said.

"I'd rather do that too actually." Dana stretched.

"Well…that's fine." Brittany said. "But let's move into the living room then." We all got up and took our drinks and got comfortable in the living room.

I tried to get into their conversations but I just couldn't. There was something really bothering me. I think it was that game. Like not the game itself but…the last time I played a drinking game, it was with Daryl. _I miss him so much._ I thought staring into my drink. "Abby?"

"What?" I looked up at them.

"I asked you if you were okay?" Carrie said.

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm fine." I smiled and shrugged. "I just need to get drunk." I tipped my bottle and just started going into it. The other girls cheered me on.

I finally stopped, grimaced then hissed. More than half of the bottle is gone. It's going to be _all_ gone soon. Plus, those other two bottles on the counter. I'm going to get really sick but I don't even care. Because that's the thing. I _don't_ care. I just really don't. I had something great going for me with Daryl; I got a taste of the good life and now it's gone and that's all I can think about.

I continued drinking the vodka until it was completely gone, then I poured some of the other liquor into a cup and brought it back over. "You sure can drink a lot." Dana said to me.

"Yeah, I'm a professional drinker." I said and took another sip.

"How'd you learn to drink like that?" Tess asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just used to it, I guess."

"She's an alcoholic." Carrie said and laughed.

"Wow, Carrie." Brittany said jokingly. "You're so nice." They all laughed.

I shrugged again. "I probably am." I quickly drank what was in my cup and got another. I went really far that night, I admit it. The last thing I remember thinking is, _I want him back._

* * *

 **Please review!**


	24. Alive

When I woke up, it was real bright and there was a ringing in my ears. I sat up slowly. "Ugh." I put my hand on my forehead. My head hurt something awful. So bad that my eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head. I could hear my dad and the others in the other room. The smell of something cooking making me sick. "Dad?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Can you get me a bottle of water?" My voice sounded weird, I even heard it. My dad didn't answer me but I heard the fridge open and footsteps coming my way. He handed it to me. "Thank you." I said barely audible. I practically drank the whole thing down. I must be really dehydrated.

"Drinkin's real fun, isn't it?" My dad said and raised his eyebrows. I didn't respond or even look at him. I didn't feel like doing this right now.

"What?" I heard Michonne say from the other room. "Is she finally hungover?"

"She gotta be." My dad answered. "She was so drunk last night, she could barely walk up the ramp." He looked back down at me. "I'm just glad you didn't drive to your friend's house."

 _If I did, I would have ended up leaving the car there and walking home anyway._ "Can you please keep your voices down?" I mumbled.

My dad looked down at me giving me a scolding look. "How much did you drink?"

"I don't remember." I lied. I drank some more water. Between the five of us girls, we killed four bottles of liquor. And two of them were just me. Plus, I had a little of the others.

"That's nice, Abigail. When are you finally gonna learn?" My dad stood there and scolded me like I was a teenager. "I bet you didn't have any water the whole time. You know the rules, young lady. It's dangerous and it needs to stop."

I looked down sadly. He's right but that doesn't solve my problems. I don't just drink for fun. "I know, dad." I finally said. "Please just stop. I don't feel good." I looked up at him.

My dad was looking down at me with a look of disapproval but he laid off me. He pushed my hair back and felt my forehead. "You do look really sick. Want me to get you some Aleve?" His thumb brushed my cheek a few times. I just nodded.

He left the room and came back about thirty seconds later with two pills. He placed them in my hand, then I took them with the little bit of water left. "Thanks, daddy." I said hoarsely.

He lifted my chin. "You should eat something."

I almost gagged at the thought of food. "No, I can't right now. I just want to go back to sleep." I laid back on my pillow.

My dad hesitated for a moment. "Want me to sit here with you?" He said softly. I looked up at him to see if he was being serious, he looked serious enough. That would be kind of nice. I smiled and nodded. He closed the door after that and sat on the edge of my bed. We were both quiet for a minute.

"You know, mom and me used to drank and stuff when we were younger." My dad started. He began pushing my hair back again and it was feeling really nice.

"You, dad?" I asked with raised eyebrows. It hurt my head though.

"Yeah." He gave me a look. I let out the smallest laugh. "We hung out with friends and we'd drink and get sick and say we were never gonna do it again, then we'd do it all again the next weekend." He kind of scoffed. I smiled. "We had fun." He nodded. "We did…but…we stopped one day. You know why?" He was giving me a look.

I thought for a minute. Well, I know my parents were young when they had me so… "Mom got pregnant with me and you guys were about to have a kid."

"We were about to have a kid." He repeated and nodded. I think I know where he's going with this. "We knew we had to get serious. We grew up because we realized what was more important." He looked at me more closely. "And that's what you gotta do, find what's more important to you."

I looked at him sadly. He knew I had problems all along. _How does he do that? How does he always know exactly what to say to me?_ I was feeling emotional right then but I didn't want to cry at the moment so I decided to say something funny. You know, hide behind humor again. "Sounds like I ruined your fun to me." I tried to sound annoyed.

"No." My dad shook his head. "You made our fun better. You and Carl." He smiled. I took in what he said and gave him a small smile back. He stood up but then bent over to give me a kiss, so I hugged him tightly around the neck.

"I love you, daddy."

"Love you, too, love bug." He kissed my forehead three times. He hasn't called me that in literally forever.

He was about to leave but I stopped him. "You don't have to leave, ya know?" I said. He gave me a questioning look. I shrugged. "It felt good when you were playing with my hair." I tried not to sound corny. He gave me a small smile and sat back down. He continued pushing my hair back. I smiled. I don't know why I like that so much. I just do.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of heavy footsteps walking up the ramp, there was a figure in the screen door. "Hey." I heard my dad say, he was sitting on the porch. The way he said it, I knew exactly who it was. It felt like someone punched me in the stomach.

"Hey." He said back and walked inside. I stared at him out the window, I could see him but he couldn't see me. This is the first time I'm seeing him since he kicked me out. "What's goin' on?"

"Same stuff." My dad answered. "But good stuff."

"Right." Daryl said. The two talked briefly on the porch while I listened. I was feeling like I could throw up, and I don't know if it's because Daryl is standing on my porch or if it's from the alcohol.

"I brought some oranges." Daryl said randomly. _He knows I like oranges._ "Maggie swung by and gave me them, but I ain't a fan. Probably ain't too good, though, they ain't in season."

"Oh good, that's fine." My dad said. "Abby loves oranges."

Daryl seemed to hesitate after that. "So, uh…where is…Abby?" He sounded nervous when he asked that?

"Sleepin' off a hangover." My dad said with a laugh. My face flushed. _Dad!_

"Oh." Daryl then said. "Maybe I'll come by tomorra then. I don't wanna disturb 'er if she's sick."

"Ay, she'll be fine." Said my dad. "You can stay if you want."

Daryl seemed reluctant again. "…nah, that's okay. I'll come by tomorra or somethin'." I actually do hope he leaves. I'm not prepared to see him right now.

"Alright." My dad said. "Well, nice talking to ya."

"Yeah." Daryl said. I watched him leave. I listened until the sound of his heavy footsteps disappeared.

I felt emotional but held it together. Taking a few deep breaths, I slowly got up and made my way into the kitchen. I was feeling way better than before and needed to eat something.

Searching around, I decided to make a can of soup. It was easy and I wanted something hot anyway. I checked the clock while my soup was heating. It was late, almost dinner time. _Damn. I slept longer than I thought._

I sat at the table eating my wedding soup when my dad walked in. "Hey, feeling better?"

"Way better than I did before." I said with a mouthful of food. "Aleve seriously kicks ass. It's the best over the counter painkiller."

"Yeah, well…they're not exactly easy to find these days so…"

"Yeah, I know." I rolled my eyes. "I needed it though. My head was killing me. I know I did it to myself but…I just had to."

We were quiet for a minute. "Daryl came by." My dad said randomly.

"Yeah, I heard." I didn't look up from my soup.

"Sorry. Did we wake you?"

I looked up at my dad this time. "Uh, no." I lied. It wasn't a complete lie. It was just Daryl, when I heard his footsteps. Their talking didn't wake me up. "And I needed to get up anyway." I shook my head. "My headache would have been even worse if I slept all day." I ate some more of my soup. I realized just then that it was very quiet. "Where's Michonne and Judith?" I asked looking around.

"They went to the cakewalk." My dad informed me.

"Oh yeah." My shoulders slumped. "I forgot that was today."

"Did you wanna go?"

I had to look at him just to see if he was being serious. "Are you kidding?" I asked with raised eyebrows. He chuckled. "I wouldn't go if you paid me."

"Well, what use would that be now?"

I gave him an annoyed look. "You know what I mean."

"I know." He laughed. "I just like to mess with ya." He put his hands on my shoulders for a second.

"Yeah." I raised my eyebrows and laughed. "I like to mess with you too. And let's face it," I got up with my empty bowl, "I do it a lot better." I smiled sweetly, then put my bowl in the sink.

"Oh yeah. We'll see about that."

I turned to him slowly and cocked an eyebrow. "Are you challenging me?"

"You bet." He smirked.

"Alright." I nodded. "It's on." We shook hands, then laughed.

I started to feel a little nauseous after eating that soup so I went back in my room to lay down a little longer. I planned on taking a shower but I don't think I can do that right now. I sighed heavily and laid back. _Daryl came by earlier today._ I remembered. _I wonder what he wanted?_

* * *

Daryl and I are sitting in a field somewhere, it was more like a meadow of flowers. We were having a picnic I guessed. It was warm, I could feel the sun on my skin. Smiling, I reached over and fed Daryl a strawberry. I giggled at how he ate it. He did the same for me. It tasted so good. I smiled back at him.

"Have some whip cream." He said holding the can out.

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that again." I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"What I tell you about rollin' yer eyes at me, girl?" Daryl said roughly. "Don't make me put ya over my knees right here in this wide open field." I started breathing heavily, that always turned me on. "Now open wide." He instructed me.

I smiled and then did what he said. He squirted the whip cream all over my face and up to my nose. "Daryl!" I laughed. "I knew you were gonna do that, you jerk!" We both laughed and then he kissed me hard. I felt that _there._

We pulled apart, finally, and I smiled at him. Suddenly, I got a bad feeling and felt something wet so I looked down. There was blood all over the front of my pants. I gasped. All of a sudden, our nice food turned rotten and had bugs all over them. "Ew!" I screamed. I looked up at Daryl to see if he was seeing this but stopped when I saw his face. He was glaring so evilly at me that it scared me.

"Get out." He growled. Dark clouds covered the sun and thunder crashed loudly.

"W-what?" I said wide-eyed and looked up for a second.

"I said, GET THE FUCK OUT!" He screamed and shoved me backwards onto the ground. I felt it crumble where I was laying but I couldn't move. Just then, the ground opened up and I was slowly falling away from Daryl. The last thing I saw was his angry face.

I sat up quickly breathing heavily. There were beads of sweat on my face and my underarms were soaked. _It was just a dream._ I thought while looking around, I was in my room. It was dark, but I could see Judith sleeping in her bed soundly. _When did I even fall asleep?_ I got up slowly to use the bathroom and check the time. It was just passed midnight. _Great._ I thought. _Now I'm never going to be able to go back to sleep._

I quickly used the bathroom and splashed some water on my face, then I got myself a glass of water in the kitchen and drank it down. I took a few deep breaths. That sure was an awful dream. I rubbed my forehead. Why would I have a dream like that? Deep down, I knew why. I miss Daryl so much. I became saddened.

I laid back down in my bed. I'm not tired at all now. This isn't going to be good because I'm going to get sleepy at a weird time tomorrow. I sighed. _Wow, how annoying._

* * *

I finally fell back to sleep around seven. I didn't sleep for very long though. Now I feel like shit. "Hey." I said joining my dad and Michonne on the porch for coffee.

"You're up early." Michonne said.

"Yeah, well, I had a really bad dream last night and couldn't get back to sleep so I hardly slept at all."

"Good thing you slept yesterday." She said again.

"Yeah, but I still feel like shit." I took a sip of my coffee. It was dark roast, which I hate but I needed something. I looked up and realized my dad was giving me a concerned look.

"You had a nightmare?" He asked me. "You wanna talk about it? What was it about?"

I hesitated. There was no way that I could tell him any part of my dream. I shook my head. "No…it's okay. I don't wanna talk about it."

My dad looked reluctant to let things go. "Are you alright though? How are you feeling?"

I took a sip of coffee before answering him. "If you're referring to how I felt yesterday, I'm good. But I just feel crappy now after…" I trailed off.

He nodded. "Well, if you start to feel tired throughout the day, just take a nap." He shrugged.

I nodded, then sighed. I'm not going to do that, though, because if I stay up all day, then I should be tired tonight and be able to go to sleep. I wanted to change the subject. "So, how was the cakewalk?" I asked Michonne.

* * *

A little later, my dad made breakfast for everyone. We had scrambled eggs, except for Judith who just wanted cereal. I kind of just pushed mine around on the plate. I got used to not eating, you know, with food being scarce? So, I have to be in a mood to eat these days and I was NOT in that mood right now. The three of them were talking but I wasn't paying one bit of attention to their conversation. My eyes are closing by themselves as I was sitting there. "Are you alright, Abby?"

"…I can't do this." I pushed my plate forward a little and took off into my room. I might as well try to sleep while it's still morning. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. So much for my plan of staying awake all day.

* * *

The next time I woke up, I was feeling so much better. I wished I had some food though. I shivered and pulled the blankets up. "Dad!" I called. "Can you please turn the heat up?"

"He's not here." Michonne said from the other room. "He took Judith to the shop with him. We're out of a few things."

"Oh." Was all I said. She must have cranked the heat up, though, because I heard it come on.

I decided to just lay there for a little before I got up. I snuggled underneath all of my blankets. "Cold as fuck." I mumbled.

Just then, I heard footsteps from a distance get closer and figured my dad and Judith were back. However, they sounded heavy…just like before. I felt like I was about to shit my pants.

I stared at him out the window as he walked up to the front door. Michonne answered it. _Well, that must be awkward. For both of them._ "Hey." Was all I heard Daryl say. Their conversation was muffled.

"Hold on." I heard Michonne say lowly. I heard her footsteps coming and then she opened my door. "Abby?" She whispered. "It's Daryl. Do you wanna talk to him?"

I looked at her wide-eyed and shook my head. She gave me a look. "I can't…right now." I said. She hesitated for a minute, then nodded. I hope she understands.

She walked back out there and I heard her say, "Abby isn't feeling well. Come back later." Michonne came through for me. I sighed in relief. However, it didn't make me feel good. I didn't hear Daryl say anything, I just watched him walk away.

And then the emotions all came back at once. I laid there silently crying. _Why did I do that? Why didn't I just go see what he wanted?_ I hate this whole thing. The depression was back.

"What was that all about?" Michonne asked me a little later. "Why didn't you want to talk to him?"

"I couldn't." I shook my head. "I just…I need a shower and stuff." I lied. It wasn't a complete lie. I didn't want Daryl to see me like this.

"Okay. And what about the other day?" She crossed her arms and stared at me. I just looked down. I didn't have an answer for that. "That's what I thought." She said again. "You know, Abby, I get what you're going through but…you should at least talk to him. He was probably coming over to apologize."

"I know, okay, I know." I said and cried. "I just couldn't. I wasn't ready." I rubbed my eyes. "I just feel so…" I trailed off and sniffled. "I don't know. I don't know." I repeated and shook my head. "Everything is so messed up." I cried.

"Now." Michonne said and sat down on the bed with me. "It is not messed up. You guys just have to talk to each other. Communicate." She rubbed my arm. "Remember what I told you? He had his space, now he's ready to talk. It's your turn."

I sighed. "Well, I'm not sure that I'm ready to talk now." I crossed my arms trying to be difficult.

Michonne smiled. "Well, when the time comes, and it will come, you let him know that he hurt you. And that it's not okay." She nodded. "He needs to know."

I took a deep breath and calmed myself. "Yeah." I nodded and wiped away the remaining tears. She gave me a small smile then stood and planted a kiss on my head. She's never done that before, she's kissed Carl before but never me. I haven't had that kind of affection from any woman since my mom died. I guess it was alright.

* * *

I went to go take a shower a little later. It's been two days so I felt kind of gross. I had my hood up and tightened around me because it was freezing outside. "Abby?" I heard a voice say. _Damnit!_ I turned slowly. It was only Brittany. "Holy shit! You're alive!" She laughed.

"What are you taking about?" I gave her a look.

"Well, you drank so much the other night, we thought you were gonna die." She scoffed. "You wanted to drink even more but I cut you off and told you to leave. God, you were so wasted." She laughed again.

I became annoyed. "Why didn't anyone come with me…to you know…help me get home and see if I was okay?"

Brittany stopped when she saw that I was serious. "Well, uh…I just…"

"Oh right." I nodded and narrowed my eyes at her. "Because then I wouldn't be your problem anymore."

She looked taken aback. "Whoa! Who shit in your sugar pops?" She said with a laugh.

I sighed and calmed down a little. "I'm sorry. I just…got shit…I'm dealing with."

She gave me a sympathetic look. "Well…that night was fun. We should do it again sometime."

"Yeah, that'd be cool." I nodded. I just wanted this conversation to end so I can go home. My hair is still wet and is going to be frozen when I finally get there. "See ya later." I turned and made my way back home.

* * *

Nothing went on at all for the rest of that day. We ate dinner and stayed in, it was too damn cold to do anything anyway. My eyes stayed on the door for the rest of the night, but Daryl never came back. Maybe I waited too long? Maybe he gave up and he's not coming back? I started to panic a little inside. _Stop it!_ I scolded myself. _Don't think about that._ Michonne told him to come back later and he will. Although, he didn't say anything when she said that. He just walked away.

I was feeling sick to my stomach, I couldn't even swallow. I hate this feeling so bad, I just want it to go away and everything go back to the way it was. I glanced at the clock, it was 10:30. I don't think he's coming. Surely not now. I looked down sadly.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of tapping. I was confused and thought I was dreaming at first. "Abby." A voice whispered. My eyes widened and darted around in their sockets. That's when I saw someone standing outside my window. We made eye contact but I didn't say anything.

"Abby?" Judith said next to me. She sounded terrified.

I turned to her. "It-it's okay, Judy. It's just Daryl. Go back to sleep." I whispered. I stayed right where I was. He continued to tap on the window.

"Aren't you gonna go talk to him?" She asked me innocently.

"No." I said immediately. "He'll go away eventually."

"Abby." Daryl said a little louder.

"I don't think so." My sister said. "You gotta go see what he wants."

"What?" I asked her in disbelief.

"Peace treaty." Was all she said. I stared at her in the darkness.

Finally, I nodded. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and slid my boots on. Then, I grabbed my hoodie and headed outside. _What does he want?_

* * *

 **Hey,** **everyone! Happy day! :D Please review!**


	25. Ain't Done Yet

I walked out onto the porch leaving the door open. "Daryl." I tightened my hoodie around me. "What are doing here? You scared my little sister."

"I wasn't scared." Judith said. I turned around, she was standing in the doorway.

"Judith." I scolded. "Get back in bed." I quietly closed the door, then turned back to Daryl. I walked passed him and gestured for him to follow me. "Before we wake up my dad and Michonne next." I led us to the end of the driveway, then stopped, and looked at Daryl. We were both quiet for a moment.

"Ya alright?" Was the first thing he said to me. "I heard you was sick?"

"I'm fine." I answered too quickly.

"Oh. Good." There was a brief pause. "So, did you—

"Daryl, what do want?" I said shaking my head.

"I been tryin' to see you." He answered.

"You mean after four days?" I gave him a stupid look even though he probably couldn't see it.

"Yeah…I'm sorry."

I raised my eyebrows. "You're sorry?"

There was a long silence where we just stared at each other. All of a sudden, Daryl pulled me to him and kissed me very hard.

"Mm!" I mumbled. I pushed myself away from him. "What the hell are you doing? _You_ broke up with _me."_

"I didn't breakup with you." He said quickly.

I scoffed. "You kicked me out."

"Ain't the same thang."

I gave him the stupidest look ever. "It is the same thing."

He cleared his throat. "Look, can we go someplace else and talk?"

I paused giving him an annoyed look. "Okay." I crossed my arms over my chest. "How about your house?"

* * *

Daryl and I went back to his house, not saying a word to each other the whole time. I'm still wondering what he's going to say and do? If he's going to try and apologize, it better be pretty damn good.

We got to his house and went inside. He started taking his jacket off. I stood in his living room watching him carefully. "You, uh…want somethin' to drank? I can make make ya some hot tea?"

I was about to explode. _Will you just get to the point already? Damn!_ "Daryl." I gave him a look.

He sighed, then paused. He shook his head. "These passed few days have been awful. I feel like shit…the way I treated you…" He trailed off and looked down. He looked like he really felt bad and maybe a little embarrassed too.

I didn't answer right away. To be honest, I was a little surprised that he started with that. "Well…you should be." I finally said.

He looked up at me. "I'm sorry." He almost sounded like he was getting choked up. "I'm really sorry."

I just stared at him for a minute. I almost felt bed myself. _He looks adorable right now._ I shook that thought. _Remember what Michonne said. You let him know what he did to you!_ I cleared my throat and walked closer to him so I was looking him in the eye. "…don't you ever yell at me like that again. Ever. You hear me?" I said sternly. "You made me feel like a jerk." I was close to tears. He had his head down and looked like a little boy getting scolded for stealing cookies from the cookie jar. _Aww, he's my innocent tough guy._ I was smiling inside, but on the outside…I was full on mother mode. "I'm your girlfriend, not your daughter."

He slowly lifted his head and we made eye contact. "Yer still my girl?"

I stared at him for a minute, then smiled. "Of course." We moved closer to each other and our lips met. We were like two puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. _Oh, this felt so good! I missed this so much!_

We finally pulled apart and I rested my forehead on his and we looked into each other's eyes. "I missed you." I said.

"Me too." He nodded. He kissed my forehead once, then another, then a third time, then he started kissing me all over my face. I giggled.

"Okay." I said. He didn't stop. "Daryl." He just kept kissing me. I couldn't escape him. "Okay, okay." I was laughing. I finally pulled out of his grasp. "Jeez, I thought _I_ missed _you_." I teased.

"I'm just really sorry." He apologized again.

I forgave him but I decided to mess with him for a little. "I should get to spank you now." I joked.

"Go ahead." He bent over a little with his hands on the table.

"Oh." I said and smirked. I gave his ass a single but nice slap. "I'm good, I said. I don't need to." He stood back up and faced me, I hugged him around his middle and smiled. "I'm not bleeding anymore." I said. He just looked down at me. "Let's do what we haven't done in a long time."

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am." Then he scooped me up and carried me into the bedroom making me giggle.

I wrapped both of my arms around Daryl's neck and kissed him. We stayed like that for a while, then he slowly set me down while we were still kissing. I moaned. I have waited long enough. We pulled apart and I pushed Daryl onto the bed. He gave me a surprised look at first. "I'm taking charge today." I said seductively and rubbed his legs.

I saw a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. "Alright." He said roughly.

I started unbuckling his belt, then said, "get these off." I started taking off my own clothes until I was down to my panties. Turning back to Daryl, I saw that he was already completely naked. A giggle escaped. "I see someone's happy to see me." Daryl looked a little embarrassed. I finally decided to address that. "Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"Why do you still act embarrassed and uncomfortable sometimes?" I asked him. "Is it me?"

"Nah, I just…" He trailed off.

"What?" I pressed. I needed to know why he was like that. He was looking uncomfortable again, which I didn't like. I think I know what it is. "Daryl." I sat on his lap facing him. "I love everything about you." I pushed his hair out of his face. "I do. You have nothing to be ashamed of." He was looking away. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Daryl finally turned his head towards me, so I kissed his lips. "Come on, sex me up." I laughed. He began planting kisses down my neck, I was still on his lap and practically panting now. He reached down and placed his hands on my bottom, I felt a squeeze that made me gasp. Then, he grabbed the waistband of my underwear with both hands and tore them apart. My mouth gaped open. "Daryl."

"Sorry." Was all he said. I just let it go and smiled at him. He continued what he was doing.

"Okay." I said all breathy. "I'm ready now." He started to lift me but I stopped him. "No, I wanna be on top." He glanced at me before scooting up a little on the bed, then putting the condom on. When that was taken care of, I slowly eased myself down on to him. Once he was inside me, I smiled at him before moving. I started out slow at first like I usually do, then got faster. Placing his hands on my breasts, I was panting. I didn't even need anything extra this time. My eyes widened as I climaxed around him. I breathed out. "I wanna do it again." I cried.

"We ain't even done yet." Daryl said. He didn't protest though. He held onto me and quickly switched our positions so that I was laying on the bed and he was on top of me. It happened so fast it almost made my head spin.

Daryl didn't waste any time, he was going very fast and hard. I loved it and was moaning loudly. "Daryl." I cried. I was close. "Yes." I missed this so much, it had been too long. That's why I didn't need anything extra. I cried out as I climaxed. "This is the best feeling in the world." I said I was coming down. I could barely hold myself up, my arms were wrapped around Daryl's neck.

I saw him make his "cum face" and knew he was done. I smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "You're the greatest…in general." I said and laughed. He was giving me his hard look, then slowly pulled out of me. He took care of himself quickly and then laid next to me in bed. I wrapped my arm around him and laid my head on his chest. I rubbed part of his arm with my thumb. "That was fantastic. I missed you so much." I almost cried. He planted a long kiss on my forehead just then. I smiled and laid there comfortably taking in his everything.

I smiled up at him and he was looking down at me. "I love you." Daryl said out of nowhere. I completely froze. _Did he really just say that?_

I sat up a little so I could face him better and stared at him wide-eyed. "What?" I finally said. "You…you love me?" He looked a little nervous. Maybe because of my reaction. He didn't answer me, just did that lip biting thing he does when he's thinking or gets nervous. "I love you, too." I nodded. "I…wanted to say that the other day but I wasn't sure if you felt the same way and I didn't want to scare you." I gave him kind of a sad look. "Do you really mean that or…did it just slip out?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. I mean…I meant it." His look was genuine. I took in what he said and gave him a small smile. I pushed his hair away from his face and then touched his cheek. "Wait." He moved my hand away from his face and sat up. I gave him a curious look.

There was a brief pause as we sat there staring at each other. Finally, Daryl cleared his throat and I knew he was going to say something. "When…when I'm with you…I feel different. Good different. Better than I ever have before in my life." Daryl started. "But those days we weren't together…" He trailed off and looked down. "I don't want that to ever happen again." He shook his head. "I want you. I wanna be with you." He stopped and looked at me. "Do you wanna…be with…me?"

I swallowed before answering. "Of course." I nodded. "But I want to move in with you and I don't know how we can do that…with my dad…" I looked down.

He lifted my chin. "We can do it." He nodded. "Just give it a little more time and then maybe…we can tell him soon."

My eyes widened. "Really? You want to tell my dad?"

He seemed to hesitate. "…not just yet but soon…maybe."

I smiled. "Okay." I breathed. Daryl kissed me. _I'm so in love with this man._

We pulled apart and just stared at each other for the longest time. "Come on." Daryl said. "Let's go to bed."

I nodded and snuggled up next to him. He pulled the blankets over us and sort of laid his head on mine. I felt him plant a long kiss on my forehead and smiled. I can't believe what he just told me. I was so happy.

* * *

I woke up the next morning feeling fantastic. However, Daryl wasn't next to me. I could smell something good cooking and knew what he was doing. I smiled and sat up stretching. _It's nice waking up in a good mood._ I thought.

I hopped out of bed and threw one of Daryl's shirts on and then my socks. It was cold and the first thing that gets cold on me is my feet. Then, I went into the bathroom to take care of myself. I also brushed my teeth using Daryl's toothbrush. _I wonder if he'll notice?_ I smiled to myself.

Once I was done with all that, I headed out into the kitchen. He noticed me. "Hey." I said and smiled. "I could make you breakfast, you know? You already cooked for me."

"Nah, yer fine." He said. "C'mere." He pulled me to him and kissed me. I tasted his mouth. _I love his scent._ I thought. We stopped kissing and just held each other. "You wearin' my shirt, huh?" He said. "Ya got anythang on under here?" He put his hand underneath and felt me. "No." He said making me giggle. "Good. Makes thangs easier."

Suddenly, he lifted me. I wrapped my arms around his neck while he moved us over to the wall. He kissed me hard. My breathing quicken along with my heartbeat. "Do you want this?" He asked me.

"Yes." I said without any question.

"Wrap yer legs around me and hold on, I gotta let go for a minute." He told me. I did what he said. He unbuttoned his pants and slid them down then grabbed a condom. I knew he was done when he grabbed me again. He gave me the cutest little kiss on my forehead making me smile, then kissed me down my neck. "Daryl." I panted.

"You ready?" He asked me.

I was but I got an idea. "Touch me and find out." I smiled lasciviously at him. He stared at me for a moment, then cleared his throat. I felt his fingers on my sex and almost gasped. I love his touch. He kind of smirked at me then and I knew that my plan had backfired. He stuck a finger inside me. I moaned loudly. He slowly moved out and then back inside me. "Alright." I stopped him. "You made your point. I'm ready." Without warning, I felt him slam into me shortly after that making me cry out. I wrapped my arms tighter around him and touched the ends of his hair. _I love his hair._

Daryl fucked me hard and fast. We never did it like this before. It was hot, not very romantic but still…very hot. I suddenly got another evil idea. I smiled and quickly threw my shirt off. I tried rubbing my titties in his face and laughed. "Abby." Daryl said.

"You like that?" I giggled. I did it some more. The truth was, I liked it too and I could tell I was close.

"Abby, I'm gonna—

I didn't really pay attention to what he was saying, I let go and climaxed. I realized Daryl had stopped and opened my eyes to see his "cum face." I gasped. _Holy shit! Did we just cum at the same time?_ We stared at each other.

Just then, I smelled something burning. I turned my head and the food was on fire! "Daryl!" I said.

"Huh?" He saw what I was looking at and practically dropped me.

"Ow." I winced as he pulled out too quickly. Daryl pulled his pants up and grabbed the pan, then took it outside. He threw the ruined eggs into the grass. It made a "ssss" sound when it made contact with the frozen morning dew on the grass.

Daryl came back inside and threw the pan in the sink. He just stood there for a minute. I became nervous because I thought he was mad. Walking over to him, I touched his arm. "Are you okay?"

He looked at me. "Yeah." He nodded. "Fine. Are you?"

"Yeah." I gave him a quick smile. There was an awkward pause. I wanted to say something about us cumming at the same time, but decided not to. "I wish we could do it in the shower but…it's too small."

Daryl nodded. "Maybe we'll be able to someday."

"Yeah." I smiled.

* * *

Daryl made us breakfast AGAIN and now we are sitting at the table together eating. "This is good." I said. "What kind of meat is this?"

He looked up at me with a mouthful of food. "Opossum." He answered.

"Oh." I never have been a fan of that but it was pretty good. I like squirrel better. "I miss bacon." I said with a laugh.

"You an' me both." He ate the last bite of his food, then wiped his mouth on his shirt. "Hurry up and finish yer food. I wanna fuck ya again." He said roughly. I gave him a surprised look. _What happened to my gentleman?_ "What?" He said. "I thought ya said ya liked when I was demand?"

"I do but…I meant in the bedroom." I kind of shrugged.

"Oh, I'm sorry, baby." He came over to me and kissed my forehead. " _Please_ hurry up and finish yer food cuz I wanna fuck again." He smirked. I smiled at him and rolled my eyes.

"What I tell ya 'bout that?" He pretended to scold me. "We're gonna have to take care 'a that right now." I got an excited feeling in my belly and giggled. "Here." He tossed me a condom. "Hang on to that fer me, okay?"

"Yeah, got it." I laughed. An idea just popped into my head. "Oh, let's do it doggy style." I grinned.

"Yes, ma'am." He said and pulled me up. He kissed me hard. _Mmm. This is nice. I'm still getting used to it though._ I'm so glad we made up and that he came to get me last night. AND that I went with him, I almost didn't. I guess I have my sister to thank for that. And then I gasped. _Oh my God! Judith!_ "Mm." I pulled away, Daryl gave me a questioning look. "Oh my God, Daryl!" I said with full concern.

"What? What is it?" He was alarmed.

"I-I gotta get home!" I started rushing around gathering my things.

Daryl was quiet for a minute. "What happened? Did I do somethin' wrong?"

"No, no, it's not you." I said. I was looking around for my underwear, then I remembered Daryl shredded them. I sighed and quickly pulled my jeans on. I realized just then that I was still holding the condom and absentmindedly shoved it in my pocket.

"If not me then what?" Daryl asked me.

"Judith." I said wide-eyed. "She was awake last night." He stared at me still not getting it. "If she tells my dad I left with you last night and I'm still not back…"

His eyes widened a little. "I see what yer sayin." He nodded. I want my dad to know at some point but not like this. I'm sure Daryl agrees.

"Yeah, I gotta get home." I threw his shirt off and put mine on. "What time is it?" I searched around for a clock.

"It's almost eight."

"Shit." I said beginning to panic.

"Look, just calm down." Daryl grabbed me and forced me to look at him. "Stop and think. We gotta plan fer this." He nodded.

I took a deep breath. "Okay." I was calmed down a little. "So, what am I gonna say if she told them?"

Daryl looked like he was thinking. Finally, he shook his head. "I don't know."

My shoulders slumped. "Thanks. You're a big help." I said annoyed. I saw him smirk. I started walking towards the door. "Oh, I hope I'm not too late." I quickly put my jacket on but kept missing the sleeve. "Oh, come on. No."

"Here." Daryl helped me put my jacket on.

I turned to him after. "Thanks." We took a step closer to each other and kissed.

"Stop worryin', okay?" He lifted my chin. "It's gonna be fine."

I wasn't totally convinced but I nodded. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah, you can come over anytime ya want." He said. "We didn't get to finish what we started. I still gotta punish ya for rollin' yer eyes at me. I'll have to take care 'a that tonight."

I smiled. "Can't wait." We kissed each other again. "Bye, Daryl." I said softly.

* * *

I practically ran home after that. Once I was on the porch, I peeked in my window and saw my sister still asleep in her bed. _Seriously? Yes! Oh my God, thank you!_ I quietly walked inside and went straight into my room. I sat down on my bed and stared at her sleeping form. Her and I need to have a serious talk. I don't want to wake her up, so I'm just going to lay here until she does.

It felt like I laid there forever before she began to stir in her sleep. My eyes widened a little. She yawned and turned my way. She blinked a few times before opening her eyes. "Why are you staring at me?"

I hesitated. "…because you and I need to talk." I said seriously.

"About what?" She said nonchalantly.

"…do you remember what happened last night?" I tilted my head to one side so I could look at her better. She looked like she was thinking. I was feeling impatient. _I don't have time for this._ "Judith, listen…you know when Daryl came here last night?"

"Oh yeah." She said.

I took a deep breath. "You can't tell dad about that, got it?"

"Why?"

"Because you just can't. He can't know about it."

"I'm confused." She scrunched her nose up. "What did he want anyway?"

I was hesitant to answer her question. "…he just wanted to talk."

"About what?" She asked innocently.

"About us, okay." I snapped. "We had an argument and he came to make things better. Just like you and I did."

She was quiet for a minute. I wondered briefly what she was thinking. "Well, that doesn't sound bad, that's good actually. Why can't daddy know?"

I closed my eyes for a few seconds and sighed. "Judith, please…I'm begging you here. Just don't say anything."

"But…I don't wanna lie to daddy. It's not right." My sister looked at me innocently. I feel bad for asking this of her. I don't like lying to our dad either.

I had to quickly think of something. "Well…technically, it's not lying. You're just not telling him something. Like, if he asks you if I left with Daryl last night, you can say yes. But if he doesn't, then you don't say anything either." I gave her a small smile. She gave me a look that she wasn't convinced. I sighed. _This isn't working! How can I make her understand?_ I ran a hand through my hair. "Okay, Judith, listen—

"Are you and Daryl boyfriend and girlfriend?" She asked sounding innocent. My eyes widened. _What do I say?_

"…yes." I finally said barely audible. We were both quiet for a minute. "Judith, you cannot tell dad." I looked at her seriously. "Look, we're sisters and there's a code. You cannot violate that code, got it?" I calmed down a little. "Peace treaty, remember?"

Judith was silent for a long time. I was nervously anticipating her response. "Okay." She finally said and shrugged. "Cool." She smiled. I let out a sigh of relief and was finally able to relax. "Are you and Daryl in love?"

I looked back up at her. "Yeah." I breathed.

"What's it like?" She asked to my surprise.

I smiled inside thinking about what Daryl and I have. "It's fantastic."

Judith laid there staring at me for a minute. "Your secret's safe with me, sissy." She finally said and gave me a small smile. I returned it. Then, she rolled over facing away from me. I hope I did the right thing by telling her. I hope I can trust her. After all, she is only five.

* * *

 **Hello everyone! Please leave a review so I know who's reading!**


	26. The Secret Is Out

I felt so much better after my talk with my sister. Like I said, I just hope I can trust her, though. She might let it slip by accident. As of right now, I'm going to keep my faith in her.

I took a nice, hot shower in our trailer. It was really cold this morning so I didn't want to go down to the bathhouse, I guarantee my hair would have icicles on it by the time I got back home. So, I had to put up with the small space in the trailer. Also, I made sure that I got in there first. I don't know why but I always hated showering after someone. It's all wet inside and I don't want to touch anything. I know it doesn't make sense, but…that's just me.

I walked out of the bathroom drying my hair with a towel when Michonne was about to go in. "I would wait for a while before showering." I told her. "I probably used up all the hot water." I grinned innocently.

"Yeah, mhm." She gave me that look. I let out a little laugh. I turned the corner and saw my dad making breakfast.

"Breakfast will be ready shortly." He told me.

"Oh, I'm good." I waved. "I already—" I was about to tell him that I ate already but stopped myself. He was giving me a weird look. "I'm just not hungry."

My dad gave me a disapproving look. "You should eat."

"I know." I was annoyed. "I'll eat a big lunch." I said to get him off my back. He looked reluctant but finally let it go. I was thankful. _Do we really have to do this everyday?_

* * *

I was laying on the sofa a little later reading a book. I couldn't really get into it though. It's about a man that kills beautiful women for their scent and uses it as perfume. The storyline sounds really interesting, I just think there's parts of the book that are pretty boring. _Oh well._ I shrugged and closed the book. _I'll just have to see if I can find the movie somewhere._ I sighed and laid back.

"Daddy, can I go play with Megan today?" Judith asked my dad.

"Yeah, sure. Just have Abby go with you." My dad said. I rolled my eyes. _Why is it always me? Like what if I had plans already?_

Michonne spoke before I did though. "I'll take her." She said. "I wanted to go out for a bit anyway." My dad nodded. _Good. I'm glad she got her off my back._

Shortly after that, Michonne took my sister out and now it was just me and my dad. "So, it's just you and me." My dad said. "What do you wanna do?"

"Uh…actually." I rolled over on the couch and sat up. "I was thinking about going out too. With a friend."

"Oh okay." My dad said.

"I mean…I don't have to leave right away, but—

"Abby, it's okay. You're young. Go have fun." He nodded. I smiled at him. "Just come here for a minute. I got something for you." I gave him a weird look but walked over to where he was by the counter. "Here." He handed me something. "I want you to take this with you." I looked down at the object in my hand. I knew exactly what it was because he gave me one of these before when I got my license and started driving. "It's pepper spray." He said.

"I know what it is." I looked back up at him. "But what's it for?"

"That guy that keeps talking to you. In case he tries to do something." He nodded.

"Oh, dad, no." I shook my head and handed it back. "I'm not gonna need that."

"Just take it with you, please. It'll make me feel better."

"Yeah, but I don't need it." I gave him an annoyed look.

"Abigail." My dad gave me a stern look. "I know you're an adult but I'm still your father so…do as I say."

I stared at him for a moment. I guess there's no way of getting out of this. I sighed. "Okay, yeah." I nodded.

"Thank you." He said.

"Whatever." I said back. I started putting it in my pocket but it wouldn't go in right. "Wait a minute, there's something in here." I said out loud. When I pulled the pepper spray back out, whatever it was in my pocket fell out and onto the floor. We both looked at it at the same time. It was the condom that Daryl handed to me. I remember putting it in my pocket now. I froze and slowly looked up at my dad. He was giving me a look that I couldn't describe.

Finally, I snapped out of it. "Uh." I grabbed the condom and put it back in my pocket. "Sorry." I said awkwardly. My face was probably super red. My dad was still looking at me the same way. "I think I'll have some coffee." I said what I was thinking out loud. I didn't know what else to do, I just wanted this awkward moment to go away. I started breathing heavily while pouring the coffee in my mug. I was close to tears.

"Abby." My dad said. I ignored him and shakily took a sip of my coffee. "Abby, it's okay." He grabbed my arm. "Look at me." I slowly turned his way. "It's alright. I know you're not a little kid anymore. I just didn't know you were doing…that."

I sighed and calmed down a little bit. "Yeah. It hasn't been going on for very long." I sipped my coffee.

There was a brief pause. "Well, what's his name? Why don't you bring him over?"

I hesitated. _His name's Daryl Dixon. Your best friend, dad._ I swallowed hard. "I can't." I shook my head. "W-we're not…like a thing yet."

"What do you mean?"

"He's a friend." I blurted out without thinking. I immediately regretted saying that. Now my dad is going to think I have a fuck buddy. He was giving me that look again. "I-it's not like that." I shook my head. "It's…new…is what I meant by that." I nodded.

My dad finally let that go. "Well…I kind of still want to meet him."

"You will." I looked at him seriously. "Just not right now." I gave him a pleading look hoping that he would understand.

"Alright." He finally said. "Just be careful. You got that pepper spray now, so if he does something that you don't want…"

"Yeah, got it, dad." I said wide-eyed and faced away from him. _How awkward was that?_

* * *

"It was so bad." I was telling Daryl about what happened with my dad this morning. He was laughing. "Daryl, it's not funny. Now my dad thinks I have a friends with benefits kind of relationship with…whoever." I scrunched my nose up. "He probably thinks I'm a hoe now."

"I don't thank yer daddy would ever thank that 'a you." Daryl gave me a more serious look.

"Yeah, well…he didn't think I was doing it at all." I sighed.

"Hey." Daryl lifted my chin so that I was looking at him. "It's all gonna be fine."

"I know." I said once he let me go. "I just…hate keeping things from him. You know before this, I never lied to my dad." I nodded. "I always felt safe enough to tell him things. You said we could tell him soon." I looked back up at him. "Well, how soon is soon, Daryl?" He looked down and didn't answer me. "Daryl?" I asked again.

"I'on know, okay?" He snapped. I was taken aback. I think he noticed because he spoke softer. "I just don't know." He sighed.

He looked a little stressed out now. I didn't want to be the cause of that. "Sorry." I finally said. "I didn't mean to make you mad."

"I ain't mad." He said too quickly. "It's just that we gotta pretty big problem here." I was about to ask him what he meant but he spoke first. "I don't wanna tell him yet cuz I'm uncomfortable with him knowin'. And yer unhappy with him not knowin'. So, we gotta problem."

"It's not that I'm unhappy. I just think it's a lot to hide from him. I mean…you don't have to deal with it like I do. I'm around him everyday and…he's my dad. We have a super close to relationship and I don't like hiding things from him. It makes me feel shitty." I looked down at my hands. "But…if we do tell him, I'm sure you're going to get the worst end of the stick." I kind of laughed even though it's not funny at all. "I really don't know how he'd react." I put my arms out. "He might actually get really mad and want to beat your ass." A nervous giggle escaped when I said that. "Or…he might actually be understanding." Daryl gave me a stupid look. "He might. You don't know. Like yeah, he's overprotective of me, but…he might see that you're perfect for me. That he knows you and can trust you and that you'll keep me safe." I shrugged. "What more could a guy ask for his little girl?" I smiled at him.

Daryl stared at me for a minute. Then, he nodded and leaned in for a kiss. Our lips met and I felt whole. "Let's take this in the bedroom."

"Or we could do it right here on the couch?" I suggested with a smile.

"Do you want to?"

"Yeah. Why not? We haven't done that yet." I smirked. "I like doin' different things with you."

Daryl paused and looked around like he was thinking. "Nah, let's just go in the bedroom." He quickly lifted me and carried me. I wrapped my legs around him and giggled. I think he likes carrying me.

Daryl carried me into the bedroom and laid me on the bed. "Here." I handed him the condom in my pocket with a smirk. He grabbed it and looked at it for a minute, then at me. I wondered what he was thinking? "What?" I finally said when he didn't answer.

"I gotta better idea." He muttered. I gave him a puzzled look. "Let's do somethin' different. Ya said ya like doin' different thangs."

"Yeah, but what?" I stared at him standing there.

"You went down on me so," he got on the bed and started undoing my jeans, "Imma go down on you now."

My eyes widened and I felt all the blood drain from my face. "Uh…well, wait." I stopped him. He looked up at me. "…I'm…really nervous to do that." I admitted.

Daryl gave me kind of a weird look. "Why?"

"I don't know. I just never did it before." I shook my head. "I don't know if I want to."

"I wanna try it." He said. "Come on, it'll be fine."

"Yeah, but…what if…what if…" I trailed off. I was too embarrassed to say what I was thinking. "…just…what if I…"

Suddenly, Daryl grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pulled me up to a sitting position so I was closer to him, he kissed me long and hard shutting me up. Finally, he pulled away and looked at me. I just stared at him in surprise. He moved my hair out of my face and rubbed my cheek. "It's gonna be fine." He reassured me. "Yer overthankin'. Let's just try it." He shrugged.

I swallowed hard and looked down giving it some thought. I kind of would like to see what it's like but, I'm just really nervous for it. But…he really seems to want to do it so…I bit my lip nervously, then nodded at him. He continued taking the rest of my clothes off, I let him.

Once I was completely naked, Daryl spread my legs apart. I saw him looking down there and my face flushed. _Why all of a sudden did I get so shy?_ He gave me a small smile, then moved up and kissed me again. It wasn't as long as the first one. He let go and held my chin. "It's okay." He nodded. "It's gonna be fine."

I nodded and took a deep breath. _Stop being such a pussy!_ I scolded myself. _Damn! It's like you're about to get surgery or something!_ "Okay, fine." I said. "But I'm giving you instructions beforehand and if I tell you to stop, you better stop." He just nodded. I sighed, then laid back on the bed and tried to relax. I'm just going to let him do it.

He started by planting soft kisses all the way down that felt heavenly. My breathing began to quicken. "I like that. Keep doing that." I said. "On my inner thigh maybe?" He did what I said. His mustache tickled me. I almost laughed.

"What do ya want me to do now?" Daryl asked.

I looked down at him. "I don't know. I thought you knew what to do."

"I ain't never done this neither." He said shaking his head. "Look, just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

I swallowed. "Well, okay." I shrugged. "Maybe…play with my clitoris a little bit." I'm sure my face was very red by now. "Like start with your fingers."

"Okay." Daryl said. "Is that this thang?" I felt his finger touch my clit.

"Yes." I said with a laugh. "It's that thing."

"Like this?" I felt him rubbing it with the tip of his finger and gasped. A moan escaped just then. "I'll take that as a yes." He cleared his throat. "So, what now?"

I could barely speak, I was moaning from his touch. "I don't care." I said all breathy. "Do whatever you want, just do it now!"

"Alright." I heard him say. He stuck his face in there after that. I felt his tongue on my clitoris and gasped. _Wow._ My eyes widened.

He licked me up and down and all around kind of just playing with me. I grabbed a handful of the sheets and panted. _Who knew this would feel so good._ "Ya like that?" He asked me. I loved the sound of his voice right now.

"Yeah." I breathed. "Maybe a little harder."

"Harder?"

"Like your tongue or something? I don't know." I laid there staring at the ceiling. Daryl did what I said. I was panting like a dog by now. However, after a while I was getting used to the same thing. "Switch it up a little." I cried.

"What do ya want me to?" He said without looking up.

"Kiss me." I breathed. "There."

I felt his lips on my clitoris then. It was hard to keep still. I grabbed onto the sheets again. "Uh, Daryl." I moaned and panted. Just then, the world stopped spinning for a moment and I was the only one in it. I moaned loudly as I climaxed. My orgasm was never ending and he was still going.

"Let's do that again." I heard Daryl say. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah." I nodded rapidly. "Do everything the way you did it before and feel free to add anything you want." I smiled. "That was fantastic." I breathed.

"I guess I did pretty good then?" He smirked.

"You're the fucking greatest!" I yelled. "Now get back in there."

"Yes, ma'am."

Daryl pretty much did everything he just did the first time, except…he threw in a big surprise at the end that I'm not so sure I liked. When I came, he lifted me and spun me around while he was still doing his thing and he licked my anus! My eyes shot open and I almost screamed. _Good thing I showered this morning._

He gave me a slap on my bottom and then quickly flipped me back over. He laid next to me on the bed. "Oh my God, Daryl." I stared at him wide-eyed. "I can't believe you just did that."

"What?"

"You know what." I gave him a stupid look. "You totally just licked my…butthole."

"Oh." He smirked. "Yeah." He put his hands behind his head and just laid there.

I sighed. "That was…great though." I wrapped my arm around him and looked up at him with my big eyes. "You deserve a reward." I poked at his chest. "I'm gonna ride you real hard." I grinned and climbed on top of him. "Let's get these off." I unbuttoned his pants and started sliding them down while Daryl watched me. "Where's that condom?"

"I got it." He said. "He began putting it on." I was going to do it but whatever.

I eased myself down onto him and smiled once he was in. I moved slowly at first, then got faster. I breathed heavily. I really liked being on top for some reason, probably had something to do with me being in charge. I placed his hands over my breasts. This shouldn't take long.

Just then, I felt Daryl move his hands from my breasts to my butt. He knows by now that I love that. It didn't take long for my climax.

Suddenly, Daryl quickly switched our positions like he does so that he could finish. I smiled when I saw his "cum face." Reaching up, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek a few times.

Daryl slowly pulled out of me and quickly took care of himself, then laid next to me. I realized then that my legs were shaking. And I was very tired. I just snuggled closer to my man. "Yer spent, ain't ya?" He asked me with a kiss on the forehead.

"Mhm." I nodded tiredly and smiled.

"Sleep then." He said softly. I smiled and laid my head on his chest. He kissed my forehead again.

* * *

I woke up to a nice feeling but I didn't let Daryl know I was awake yet. I wanted to see what he was going to do. I felt his finger on the bridge of my nose, he trailed down it softly. It felt very nice and it was super sweet. I love those little things he does. "Mm." I mumbled and smiled. "That's nice."

"Sorry." Daryl said. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"That's okay." I kissed him quickly. I laid back and admired my view. _My man is sexy as hell and I'm the luckiest girl in the world!_ "So, I was thinking…" I started. "Maybe we could start not using condoms." He turned his head quickly and looked at me. "Like, you could just pull out before…"

"Oh." Daryl said. "Yeah, sure. I could do that." He shrugged.

I still looked at him. "Just because, you know…it would probably feel better for you."

"Yeah, that's fine." He nodded. "Whatever you wanna do."

 _He does this every time._ I thought annoyed. "Why is everything always my decision? I want to decide something together."

"Cuz I don't care." He shrugged again. "Either way is fine with me."

"But how can you say that?" I said sitting up. He was just giving me a questioning look. "Don't you think it would feel better for you without it?"

"Well…yeah, sure. Maybe. I don't know."

"Do they bother you?" I looked at him more closely.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Not really."

My shoulders slumped and I sighed. "Daryl—

"Hey, chill out." Daryl said. He kissed my forehead. "If you wanna try without condoms, then we'll try without condoms. Okay, sweetheart?" He kissed me three times on my cheek. I had to smile.

"Okay." I said. I just decided to let it go. "So…do you wanna come over for dinner tonight? We're having stew." I grinned at him.

"Mm. I'on know." He shrugged and smirked.

"Please." I batted my eyes. "You know you want to." I smiled.

He sighed. "…yeah, sure."

"Okay." I said excitedly. "We should probably leave soon. I'm just gonna go take a shower real quick." I started to get up but Daryl pulled me back down. He practically attacked me with kisses. I giggled the whole time. As I said before, I love when he shows affection like that. We kissed for a long time. _He better stop it or we ain't going anywhere!_ I was the one to pull us apart. "I'll miss you in there." I said quietly. I put my hand on his cheek before leaving the room.

* * *

"Hey." I said to my dad and Michonne when I walked in. "I brought my best friend over for dinner." Daryl walked in nervously behind me. I heard Michonne and Judith laugh. My dad is the only one that was clueless.

"Well, you're just in time." My dad informed us. "Food's ready."

"Me and Daryl had to sit on the sofa last time so it's only fair that we get to sit at the table this time." I said.

"That's fine." Michonne said. "We can just put Judith at the end of the table there. She'll fit."

We sat down to eat after that. Daryl was sitting next to me. I had to try to remember not to be affectionate with him, it was hard but…I could do it.

"So, Abigail," my dad started, I just put a spoonful of food in my mouth and looked at him, "where ya been all day?"

 _Oh._ I swallowed my food. "Well…" I trailed off trying to think of something. "So, first I was hanging out with Carrie, Dana and Tess at the clubhouse. Everything was cool for a while but then, Dana was all like, 'let's go to Brittany's house,' cause you know how those two are being super close best friends and all." I waved. "So, then we went there and played some games but then Brittany invited over some other people, one including Paige and I don't like Paige only because she doesn't like me for some reason. And I don't really like being over there anyway because Brittany and Bridget," I scoffed, "they invite people over and then talk about them as soon as they leave and I don't like that shit, especially Brittany. I swear that bitch ain't right. And I'm sure they've said stuff about me but…I don't know that. Anyway, I told myself that if they do that then I'm leaving. And that's what they did so I left." I finally took a breath. I told that whole story within thirty seconds. They were all staring at me.

"What?" My sister said.

"Exactly." I looked at her wide-eyed and smiled. We all laughed after that.

We finished our dinner and we were all just sitting there talking now. Judith was on the floor playing with her dolls. "Been on any runs lately?" My dad asked Daryl.

"Two days ago." Daryl said while picking his teeth.

"Yeah, I'll have to go out soon." My dad nodded. "Maybe you and I could go."

"Sure." Daryl said. I took a sip of my drink and felt Daryl's hand on my leg. I glanced at him quickly trying not to give too much away. His hand traveled up until it was on my inner thigh, then he touched me. I almost choked on my drink.

"You okay, Abby?" My dad asked me.

"Yeah, dad. I just, uh…swallowed wrong." I nodded. My dad looked away and I gave Daryl a look.

"Maybe I'll come too." Michonne said referring to the run. My dad just nodded.

I looked at all of them. "Well, I wanna go too then." I said. "I don't wanna be the only one here not on the run." My dad and Michonne kind of giggled.

Judith suddenly stood up. "Daddy?" She said innocently. "What are condoms?"

I swear all of our heads turned in her direction at the same time. "Judith." Michonne scolded.

"Well," my dad swallowed, "why do you ask that, sweetheart?"

"Well…" She spun around before answering. "You guys were talking about runs and it reminded me, back at that cottage place, Abby and Daryl were talking about going on a run and getting some."

I felt all the blood drain from my face and I looked at my dad, I don't think my eyes could have gotten any wider. I feel like I messed up by the way I looked at my dad right then. I mean…I could have just said we were getting them for someone else while out on a run but it was too late now. The secret was out.

My dad and I were staring each other, then his eyes moved to Daryl. Everything just stopped for what felt like forever. "Judith, go to your room." Michonne said.

"Why?" She asked her.

"Now." Michonne said again seriously. My sister took off into her room.

"Get out." My dad finally said to Daryl.

"Dad." I said.

"Rick." Michonne even tried. "Let's just stay calm and talk about this, okay?"

"No, I-I don't wanna talk about this." My dad said wide-eyed and shook his head. "I want you to get out of my house right now before I do something I regret."

Daryl went to get up but I stopped him. "No." I pulled him back down. "Dad, come on." My voice was shaking. "You don't understand."

"You just be quiet, young lady!" He scolded me. "I said, get out now." He turned back to Daryl. Daryl got up and left hurriedly. "Daryl, wait." I tried to go after him.

"No, Abby." Michonne said. "Just stay here." She nodded.

I looked at my dad fearful of what he was going to say or do next. He looked crazy, almost like he was going to explode. "Daddy?"

"I don't want to talk to you right now." My dad said immediately. "I don't even want to look at you."

Tears were brought to my eyes almost instantly. "Rick." Michonne said. "It's okay. It's not that big of a deal. They're two consenting adults and I already talked to Abby about it—

"You knew?" My dad practically screamed. "And you kept that from me?"

"I told her to because I wanted to be the one to tell you." I cried.

"Yeah, well, apparently, I had to find out about it from your five year old sister!" He yelled at me.

I looked at him sadly for a minute. "I'm sorry."

He stared at me angrily. "Is he your "friend"? The one you were telling me about earlier?"

"Kind of." I sniffled. "But…it's not like that, daddy, I promise. We love each other and we—

"I don't wanna hear it." My dad cut me off. "Right now, I want you to leave my sight."

I took a deep breath and stood up. "No." I said to him. "We're gonna talk about this and you're going to accept it. I'm not a child anymore."

"NO, I'm not!" He yelled taking me by surprise. "I'm never going to accept it. I-I can't even…" He trailed off shaking his head. "Go to your room."

I gave him the dumbest look. "I'm twenty-two. You can't send me to my room."

"Well, I don't wanna see you right now." He snapped.

I stared at him sadly and a sob escaped. "Fine." I finally said. "I'll stay at Daryl's."

"Like hell you will!" He screamed. "I don't want to see him around here or you at all ever again!"

I breathed out. "Michonne?" I glanced at my step mom. She was being very quiet, probably wanted to stay out of the whole thing.

She slowly lifted her head to look at me. "I don't know, honey. Sorry."

I stood there for a minute sadly. I looked to and from my dad and Michonne, then I finally went in my room closing the door behind me. Not to stay though. I grabbed my bag and quickly started packing things that I needed. _If that's the way it's going to be then I'm out._

I heard my sister next to me sniffle. She heard the whole thing. "Abby?" She said. "I'm sorry."

I finally let my tears fall. "I can't believe you, Judith." I shook my head. "I can't believe you'd do this to me." I shoved some more items in my bag, then was about to leave but something made me turn back. "We're not friends." I said to her. "You'll always be my sister but…you'll never be my friend." I said cruelly to her. She cried harder. I knew it was unfair because she was only a kid, but in that moment, I didn't care.

I walked out of my room with my bag. My dad and Michonne were sitting at the table, they looked up when they heard me come out. "Abby?" Michonne gave me a weird look. I walked right passed them and into the bathroom grabbing some items I needed in there. Then, I shoved them in my bag. "Abby, where are you going?" Michonne asked me again. My dad was on his feet now.

I turned to look at them but paused for a minute. "I'm leavin'." I said.

"Abigail." My dad said angrily.

"Honey, you don't have to do this." Michonne said.

"You're not going over there." My dad said and came over to me. "With him."

"Yes, I am." I turned to leave.

"Abby." My dad tried to stop me. "If you walk out that door, then…then don't come back."

I stood there taking in what he just said. _If this is the way he's going to be, then I don't want to come back._ "Are we gonna talk about it?" I turned back to him and snapped. "More importantly, are you gonna accept it?"

We stared at each other. Finally, my dad shook his head. "No. I can't."

It felt like someone put a knife in my heart right then and twisted it. "Well, then that's fine with me." I said angrily and started out the door.

"Abby, wait." I heard Michonne say. I ignored her and ran down the ramp, down the driveway and down the street. It felt like everything was happening in slow motion.

* * *

Daryl answered his door and saw me standing there with my bag. I didn't have to say anything, I didn't have to explain. He got what happened. He gestured for me to come in, I lost it as soon as I was inside. "C'mere." Daryl said and held me. "Shh." I cried in his arms.

He lead us over to the couch and I laid my head in his lap. He played my with hair and tried to comfort me. It was just like the other day when I was crying to my dad about Daryl. Now I'm crying to Daryl about my dad.


	27. Letting Everyone Down

Daryl and I were just sitting on his couch with each other, neither of us really talking. It was pretty quiet but it was okay. I was content. All I could hear was the clock ticking. Of course I'm still very upset about what happened with my dad, but I'm just trying not to think about it.

"Ya want me to get ya anythang?" Daryl broke the silence.

"No, thank you. I'm fine." I said without much thought.

"Are ya sure?" He seemed to press. "I mean…there ain't nothin' ya want me to do or…?"

I looked at him. "No, it's fine. _I'm_ fine. Really." I nodded. "Just being here with you is helping." I gave him a quick smile.

"Alright." He shrugged. "Just kinda quiet. Ain't used to that with you." Daryl kind of laughed.

I gave him a look and had a thought just then; this thing that happened just didn't affect my relationship with my dad, it affected Daryl's with my dad as well. I'm sure he feels pretty bad about it, too, and I bet things will always be awkward for him with my dad now. "I'm sorry." I said to him. He looked at me. I sat up so I could look at him better. "I feel like I've been so worried and upset over what happened with my dad and us that I've been ignoring you. How _you_ feel." I corrected myself, then looked at him more closely. "Are you okay?"

He was quiet for a minute, then shrugged. "I guess."

"What's that mean?" I shook my head.

"It means, it is what it is." He shrugged again. "Ain't nothin' I can do about it." He just looked down at me and didn't say anything else. I gave him a sympathetic look and I don't know why but I sat on his lap. I smiled and hugged his head tightly, then planted a big kiss on his cheek. We looked at each other, I kind of laughed and he just smirked.

"I love you." I said.

Daryl inhaled sharply, then nodded. "Love you too." We gave each other a quick kiss, then I was about to get off his lap but he stopped me. "Ya don't gotta leave." He said. I hesitated but eventually just smiled and stayed there like that. It was fine with me, I love being as close to my man as possible.

"It's still too quiet." Daryl said after some time.

I sat up a little and looked at him. "Well…we could watch a movie?" I suggested. "I brought some."

"Sure."

I hopped off his lap and began going through the things in my bag. I should unpack anyway. After all, this is my house now. "Let's see…" I said absentmindedly. "I have all those movies we watched at the cottage, so those are probably out since we just kind of watched them." I tossed them aside. "Oh, I haven't watched this one yet." I turned to him. "I found it while we were out. Is this okay?" I held it up. He just nodded. "Okay." I walked to the DVD player and popped this disk in. "Ew." I said blowing some of the dust off. "Daryl Dixon." I scolded him.

"Yeah, well…I'on use it."

I just let out a little laugh. I grabbed a blanket, throwing it over us, and snuggled up next to him on the couch. Daryl kissed my cheek making me smile.

The beginning of the movie was pretty boring, I could tell Daryl wasn't interesting at all anyway but he was being nice because he didn't complain or say anything. At one point in the movie, there was a mom with her son that had to be like three or four years old, no older than that. Anyway, they were in a store and he was being bad and the mom kept yelling at him. It was pretty funny actually. The little boy picked up a hat, put it on and did a spin, his mom was like, "Dallas! You better stop it!" I laughed. That whole scene was her pretty much her saying, "Dallas!"

"I love the name Dallas." I said with a smile. "Don't you just love that name?" I asked Daryl.

"Sure." Was all he said.

"I love that name. If we have a son, that's what his name is going to be."

"Alright." Daryl said apathetically.

The movie went on and continued to be boring as hell. However, I didn't want to shut it off because I wanted to see how it ended even though I wasn't into it. Like, I watched most of it, I want to see the end. If not, I'll be wondering about it until I do. I don't know why I'm like that?

I felt Daryl give me a random, little kiss on my temple just then. I felt this feeling go through my body and smiled. I love little things like that. About a minute later, he gave me another kiss there. _Uh oh. What's this?_ I thought. _Is he trying to get my attention or something?_ He did it again shortly after. _Okay, it's pretty obvious now. He wants to play._ I picked the remote up and paused the movie, then turned to him. We looked into each other's eyes for a moment, then we kissed. I took in this sweet sensation. Just then, I started to sit on his lap while we were still kissing, Daryl helped me by lifting me a little. I sat on his lap facing him. _This is so neat._ I thought excitedly. _I'm making out with Daryl on his couch when we're supposed to be watching a movie._ I felt like a giddy schoolgirl.

We pulled apart and Daryl kind of gave me a look, I guess it was like for permission? I nodded. He lifted my shirt over my head and I took my bra off myself, then began to unbutton my jeans along with his. "Lemme just get a—"

"No." I stopped him. "We wanted to try doing it without, remember?"

Daryl looked a little nervous. "Yeah." He nodded. We quickly took the rest of our clothes off.

He laid me down on the couch after that and slammed into me causing me to cry out. "Okay?" He asked me. I just nodded. He started out slow, then began to pick up speed. I moaned with each thrust. I needed this so bad tonight, with all that happened. _Just forget, Abby._ I tried to tell myself. _Blank your mind._ I nodded to myself. I could tell I was close. However, my emotions were starting to catch up and tears were brought to my eyes. I hope Daryl doesn't notice.

Just then, I felt him kiss down my neck. "I love you." He said. I let go and climaxed shortly after that. Daryl continued to move, then all of a sudden, he pulled out quickly and came into his trash can.

I gave him a weird look. "You could have came on me if you wanted to." A sob escaped when I said that.

"It's alright." He said.

I could tell I was close to breaking down and there was no stopping it. "Okay." I said then started crying very hard out of nowhere.

"What? What's a matter?" Daryl was there immediately and sounded confused. "Did I hurt ya—

"No, just the opposite." I said. "I'm sorry, I just…" I trailed off and sobbed. "Just everything." I cried. "I'm sorry." I'm sure Daryl was confused and I felt stupid.

"It's okay. It's okay." He wrapped his arms around me and held me. "Shh." His face was touching mine, I liked it. I cried for a little longer, then slowly calmed down.

"Ya want me to do somethin' fer ya?" Daryl asked me.

"No." I shook my head. "I just want everything to be okay. I hate this."

Daryl kissed my temple and switched our positions a little so that I was leaning back on him on the couch. "I know. I know." I felt him nod. _He's being so sweet right now._ "I don't know how to…how to fix this. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it."

I sighed heavily. "There's nothing. The only way things will be fixed is if my dad realizes he's being stupid and comes around."

Daryl was quiet for a minute. "…I don't…I don't know what to say."

I nodded. "It's okay. There's nothing _to_ say." I reassured him. "Let's just go back to this stupid movie."

"Okay." Was all he said.

I pressed "play" on the remote and the movie continued. Daryl tightened his hold on me and planted a kiss on my temple. I tried to hold him back by holding his arms. "I love you so much, Daryl." I said sadly. "I don't know what I'd do without you." I kissed his arm.

* * *

We finished the movie and went to bed after that. Daryl was asleep and I was facing the other way silently crying. I really hope I don't wake him up. I suddenly had a memory of when it was just us two after the prison attack. That day we had that bad argument and then those guys broke in. I shivered at that thought. I kept watch that night, after everything happened. I wanted Daryl to sleep, just like I want him to sleep now. Things were different back then, a lot more dangerous with only two people but in an odd way, it was more simple. It was nice. There's no way for me to say this without sounding like a terrible person, but…I kind of missed that.

I wondered if we would ever be alone like that again. We are alone right now but that's not what I mean. I just mean…back then, we were the only two people in the world. Not really, but that's what it felt like. I want it to feel like that again. I wonder how Daryl would feel about it?

Just then, I heard him stir in his sleep and thought I woke him up. However, he didn't say anything and I eventually heard his light breathing again. I rolled over so I could face him and wrapped my arm around him, then gave him the lightest little kiss. _Sleep tight, my love._

* * *

I hardly slept last night so this morning, I was not my best. I had to deal with that on top of everything else now. Daryl made us breakfast so I thought I would clean up. I got the water real hot and reached for the dish soap, but there wasn't any. "You don't have dish soap?" I asked Daryl.

"Must 'a ran out."

I gave him a look then turned back to the sink. Oh well. I can just use a squirt or two of hand soap. I looked around for a bottle but couldn't find any, I even checked in the bathroom. "Daryl." I gave him an annoyed look. "You don't have hand soap either?" He didn't answer but I knew his answer anyway. "How have you been washing your hands?"

"Oh, you now." He waved, then smirked at me.

"Gross." I said. I sighed but then just laughed. _That's my Daryl for ya._ "Oh well, looks like we're gonna have to do some shopping."

* * *

I talked Daryl into going to the "shop" with me. "So, I made a list of everything we need." I said. "You look for the bottom half and I'll look for this half." I tore the paper in half.

"Alright." Daryl shrugged taking his half of the paper. There was a brief pause. I was setting things I was finding in my basket. "What the hell we need laundry soap for? I ain't gotta washin' machine." Daryl said. "Don't they already got soap at the laundromat?"

"Yeah." We met at the end of the aisle. "But I like to use my own soap."

"That's stupid." He gave me a look. "Then ya gotta lug that down there with all yer clothes."

"Well, I like to." I defended myself. Just then, I had a thought. I really don't want an argument right now. And I felt defeated with everything, I just don't have the energy right now. "Yeah, never mind." I said quietly and shook my head. "Don't get it then." I turned away from him and went back to my list.

"…no, I'm sorry." Daryl said behind me. "If ya really want it, let's get it."

"It's okay. You were right, it's stupid." I tried to reassure him. "It's just one more thing we have to replace. We don't need it." He was staring at me so I gave him a small smile.

"Alright." He finally said. "Hey, c'mere." He gently pulled me into a hug and kissed my forehead. "Ya look sad today."

I buried my face in him. "I'm fine." I lied. I took a deep breath and held it together. I wasn't about to start crying in the store. We let go of each other. "Let's just get the rest of what we need and go home." I looked up at Daryl sadly and nodded. He just nodded back.

Suddenly, I felt him grab my bottom and gasped. "Don't worry, I'll make ya happy when we get home." Daryl whispered.

I giggled. "I'll hold you to that."

We quickly finished our shopping and took everything to the front so they could write down everything we took. I was excited to get home now. "You can just take my list." I said to the person on store duty. "We got everything except the laundry soap." I threw the list on the counter and we grabbed our stuff heading out the door.

Daryl lifted me with one arm once we were outside making me giggle. "Stop it." I said laughing. He put me down and kissed my cheek. We began walking again and I couldn't believe what I saw. _Who_ I saw rather. It was my dad and Michonne headed our way. I stopped dead in my tracks. They didn't see us yet. "Daryl." I said.

"Yeah, I see 'em."

Michonne noticed us first, I saw her tell my dad something then he looked at us and stopped. We made eye contact. My eyes widened, I took one step forward and I was hopeful. Only to be crushed as he completely ignored me and walked right passed us.

I stood there like an idiot for a minute, then my face fell. _That really just happened. My dad ignored me. Like I didn't even exist. Like he…didn't care about me._ I stood in the cold like a fool. _I don't want to be here anymore._

"Abby?" Daryl said to me. "Abby, come on. Let's go home." He put his arm around me and forced me to walk.

* * *

I laid there crying while we were trying to have sex. Daryl said we didn't have to but I told him I wanted to. I didn't want to rain on his parade, it's not fair. However, I couldn't stop thinking about what just happened. _I couldn't believe how my dad was being. Does he really not care about me anymore?_ I cried harder.

Daryl stopped after that and I heard him sigh. "Alright, I cain't do this."

"No. No, it's fine." I tried to reassure him. "I'll be fine. Just keep going." I sobbed.

"I cain't." He pulled out of me and sat on the bed. "Not when yer cryin' like that. It feels wrong."

I reached over and touched his back. "I'm sorry."

He gave me a look. "No, I'm sorry. C'mere." He gestured. I crawled over to him and he held me tightly. I just laid my head on his chest and cried. "I wish there was a way I could fix this. Make ya feel better." He kissed my forehead. "I hate when my girl's sad." Our faces were touching.

I thought about what he just said. What _I_ thought about earlier. _I don't want to be here anymore._ "I don't want to be here anymore." I said barely audible.

"What was that?" Daryl asked softly.

I lifted my head off of him so I could look at him. "There is…there is a way you can make me happy." I stared at him. He gave me a questioning look. "Run away with me." I blurted out.

"What?" He was giving me a look like he didn't understand.

"Let's leave here." I shook my head. "It can just be you and me again. Like it was when…" I trailed off.

There was a brief pause, I was waiting to see what Daryl was going to do. "Abby." He finally said. "Ya ain't thankin' clearly right now." He shook his head.

"Yes, I am." My eyes widened. "I'm thinking more clearly than I ever have before. It's like…a blindfold was removed from my eyes. I see now. It was better that way."

"What? With just two people?" He said roughly. "Havin' to take turns keepin' watch? Gettin' attacked by fuckin' men that tried to rape ya? Only the two of us to watch each other's backs?" He was almost glaring at me. I was surprised by his response.

"Yes." I said seriously.

Daryl snorted. "Ya ain't thankin' clearly." He repeated. "Yer upset and ya got the right to be, but ya ain't thankin'." I was about to say something but he spoke first. "Look, baby. I don't mind goin' out there but…I don't want you back out there. It's dangerous and I don't want you in danger ever." He shook his head. "What if that happens again? With guys like that. I cain't have anythang happen to ya." He touched my face. "And ya gotta home here. Walls. It's safer. You really wanna go back out there? And risk all that?" Daryl finally finished. I was quiet. He was staring at me waiting for a response.

"I know," I started, I cleared my throat, "I know how it sounds. And I know I'm upset right now. But…" Tears were brought to my eyes. "I can't." I cried. "I can't be here anymore. You don't understand what this is doing to me…with my dad." I put my head down and cried. "It hurts so bad. I can't take it anymore. I can't do this!" I cried loudly. "I want to leave! I want to leave!"

"Okay!" Daryl grabbed me. "Okay." He said softer. "If that's really what ya want, then we'll do it. But I want ya thank real hard about this. Ya get a good night's sleep and you thank about this good." He nodded. "Ya hear me?"

I looked at him in his eyes and nodded. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down. Daryl slowly and gently wiped my tears away. "Thank you." I said quietly. He held me tightly and kissed my forehead. That always felt nice. I leaned into him and rested my head on his shoulder. _Sure, Daryl. I'll think about it. I'll give it some good thought. But…I doubt I'm going to change my mind._

"Hey." I lifted my head and looked at him. "Let's finish what we started." I gave him a small smile. He nodded, then kissed me. I slowly moved back and lowered myself down onto the bed.

* * *

I made dinner for Daryl and I a little later. I just made some soap. We both like things with noodles and it's super cold outside so I thought it was appropriate. I heard Daryl make a noise next to me. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's real good." He said.

I smiled. I felt a shiver just then, all I had on was one of Daryl's shirts and my socks. "Oh, it's so cold." I moved closer to Daryl.

"Mhm." He said with food in his mouth. "Yeah, well…ya better get used to it if ya decide to leave here. Ain't got heat out there."

I just looked at him. _I didn't think of that. I hate the cold._ "Well…" I started to say but trailed off. _This is going to sound so stupid._ "We could always come back if things don't work out."

Daryl snorted. "The point of us leavin' is so we don't gotta come back."

"I know but—

"You just better thank about this long and hard, girl." He gave me a serious look. I just stared at him. I was turned on.

"I'm thinking of _something_ that's long and hard." I said. He stopped eating and looked at me. I smiled lasciviously at him. We stared intensely into each other's eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Daryl lifted me and carried me into our room. I laughed. As soon as he put me on the bed, I threw the shirt off and my socks. He only had his pants on, he stood up to take them off. "Come on." I said. "Kiss me." Daryl was there in a second, he kissed me very hard. Then, he moved over to my neck. I breathed out. "Please kiss down my body. I love when you do that." Daryl did what I said and made his way down. He surprised me by kissing me "there." My eyes shot open and I gasped. I didn't think I needed anymore play, I think I'm ready. "Daryl." I cried.

He made his way back up, and I spread my legs a little wider. I felt him slam into me and I cried out like I always do. He started out faster than usual. I liked it though. I moaned loudly and let him do his thing.

I laid there taking in everything. I could feel that I was close. This sweet torture is killing me. So, I wanted to speed things up. "Wait, stop." I said. "Let's switch positions how you do sometimes. I wanna be on top now."

Daryl grabbed me tightly and quickly switched our positions. I picked up where we left off, then began riding him. I moaned. I started playing with my boobs. I saw that Daryl took notice. "You like my titties, Daryl?" I teased him. "Here, you play with them." I smiled and placed his hands on my breasts. I moved them around. "Oh, yeah." I tried to sound as girly as I could.

Suddenly, Daryl made a noise and switched our positions again. "Hey." I called him out. "I was enjoying that." He was moving faster. "What's wrong? You didn't like my titties?" I teased him some more. He was about to pull out right then, I thought he was going to switch our positions again so I stopped him because I could feel that I was close.

"Abby." Daryl said.

"Wait, there. Right there." I said all breathy.

"Abby." Daryl said more forcefully this time. I ignored him as I climaxed and moaned loudly tightly shutting my eyes. Just then, I felt Daryl tense up and I felt an alien feeling down there. My eyes shot open and I gasped.

"Did—did you just…"

"Yeah, I did." Daryl said roughly. He pulled out of me and sat on the side of the bed. "Fuck."

I just stared at him. _I don't want him to be mad._ "It—It's okay."

"It ain't okay!" He snapped. _Shit._ We were quiet for a minute. "Why'd ya have to do that anyway?" He asked me. "Puttin' my hands on yer tits and talkin' like that."

"I-I just…wanted to…spice things up." I shrugged. "I like when you say stuff to me, so I thought I'd do the same."

"Well, we don't need that." He snapped again. "We're fine with what we have." He said roughly and looked at me.

I nodded sadly at him. Tears were brought to my eyes. Daryl sighed and looked away. I impatiently wiped at my tears and went into the bathroom to go take care of myself.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked different. Sad. My eyes were not as happy and hopeful as they used to be. I just wanted to cry but refrained from it. Instead, I looked down and took a few deep breaths to steady myself. _I feel like I just keep letting everybody down. I keep fucking up._

I went back into our bedroom, Daryl was still in there but was now standing. He had pants on but no shirt or anything else. He looked at me as I walked more into the room. "Hey." We met halfway in. "I'm sorry." He said and wrapped his arms around me. I just kind of put my head down. "I'm sorry." He said again and put his forehead on mine. "Love you."

I attempted to smile. "Love you too."

He kissed the bridge of my nose. "Come on, let's go to bed."

I nodded. I put my underwear back on and Daryl's shirt. Daryl and I don't always sleep completely naked. I don't know why, it just feels weird sometimes. I can't speak for him but for me, it is.

We both laid down. Daryl shut the lamp off, then we got comfortable. I love having Daryl's arms around me. It makes me feel warm, loved and safe.

It got quiet after that. I figured this was the right time to tell him. "Daryl?"

"Hm."

I hesitated. "…I'm still gonna do what you said and sleep on it…but…I don't think I'm going to change my mind about this. I don't think, I know." I paused. "I don't need anyone else. All I need is you. I don't care where we are."

There was a long pause after that. "Okay." Daryl finally said. That one little word confirmed our plan. I smiled.

* * *

 **I would greatly appreciate it if anyone who is reading could please leave me a review :)**


	28. Ideas And Decisions

I crouched down breathing heavily with my gun up. My eyes were wide as I glanced at Daryl. He put a finger to his lips as to tell me "shh." I just nodded. I could hear footsteps above us. I was scared to death, practically peeing my pants. I got more afraid as I listened to the footsteps and knew we had to be super quiet.

"I know someone's in here." A man's voice said. My eyes widened. "Come on out. Let's make this easy." I followed his footsteps up above, then heard a door open. My heart skipped a beat. He was slowly making his way down the stairs. I almost lost my shit. _Oh God! He's coming!_

"Did you find anyone?" A woman shouted down the stairs. My eyes widened. _What? There's two people?_ I looked to Daryl. He put his hand up. Then, I watched him pull out his knife. My eyes widened even wider. _I know what he's planing to do._

"No." I mouthed and shook my head. He nodded. "No no." I pleaded.

Just then, Daryl ran out at the guy. He dodged him and sort of lifted Daryl slamming him against the wall. "Daryl!" I yelled. The guy looked at me. He was a big fucker. He took a step towards me but Daryl kicked him in the leg making him go down. I broke out of my trance and pointed my gun.

"Don't even think about it, sweet pea." The woman from before was right there and was pointing her gun at me. She looked to maybe be a little older than me, but she was bigger. "Drop it." She said. I thought for a minute. I don't think she's gonna kill me. If she was going to, she would have just done it, I didn't see her before. So, I decided to oblige. I dropped my gun and put my hands up. "Good. Now you and I are gonna take a little walk while my man finishes up your man." She smiled. I glanced over at them. Daryl seemed to be getting the worst of it. I breathed out sharply. "Move!" The woman yelled. She gestured for me to go out the door. I started walking.

As soon as we were outside, I spun quickly trying to kick her in the leg. I succeeded. She fell to the ground with a gunshot going off and I took off running through the yard and then around to the other side of the house. I needed to get back inside. The woman was shooting at me, I looked back and she was still a distance away. I ran in through the front door and up the stairs. Glancing around quickly to find a hiding place. I just ran in the closest bedroom and hid in the closet. _This is going to have to do._ I thought while closing the door. I was trying to catch my breath the best I could without being too loud.

Finally, the woman ran up the stairs. "Where are you!" She yelled. "I swear when I get my hands on you…" She trailed off. Her voice was farther away now. She must have gone in one of the other bedrooms. There were only three. "I wasn't going to kill you at first, but now I'm going to. Not after what you did!" I heard a noise like she threw something. I could hear a lot of noise down in the basement where I left Daryl. I guess that's a good thing because if they're still fighting, that means Daryl is alive. I gulped.

Just then, I stepped on a toy in the closet that squeaked. _Shit!_ I heard the woman's footsteps getting closer now. "I heard you." She said. "I know you're up here." She walked into the room. I could see her through the cracks in the closet door. "Come on out." She had her back to me.

I was standing there trying to work up the courage to attack. I took deep but quiet breaths and tried telling myself that I had to do it. I nodded.

Finally, I just stopped thinking about it and I ran out at her, jumping right onto her. I made her hit into the wall, we both hit the floor. She pulled the trigger in the process. "You bitch!" She yelled and tried to get up. I quickly kicked her in the side making her go back down, then got on top of her. I banged her arm on the floor knocking the gun out of her hands.

My eyes were on the gun, I tried to get it but she tackled me back down. Her elbow connected with my ribs and I screamed out in pain. Then, she punched me once in the face. I laid there in pain. She stood up and went for the gun. I couldn't let that happen, I couldn't lose. I grabbed her around the legs making both of fall back down. I was closest to the gun now. I grabbed it and pointed it at her. Her eyes widened. "Ha!" I said.

I stood up quickly still pointing the gun at her. "Back up." I said. She took a step back. "Move. Over there." I gestured with the gun for her to move aside away from the door. She did. I moved quickly and was now right outside the door. "Bye bitch." I said.

"Please don't." She pleaded with a scared look. I gave her a stupid one. _Is she serious? She was just trying to kill me._ I pulled the trigger, she cringed…but nothing happened. I looked down at the gun and tried it two more times. _Shit. Outta bullets._ I looked back up at her wide-eyed. She was smiling, then ran at me. I threw the gun at her as hard as I could hitting her in the face. She groaned in pain and hit the floor. I ran to the end of the hall in front of the bathroom door. That's when I remembered about the hole. I stood there waiting for her. She finally got up and was just standing there watching me. There was a brief pause.

"Come get me." I said to her. She looked extremely angry and started running at me. Right before she got within arms length, I jumped through the hole in the floor. It was just big enough for me to fit through. I was now on the second floor. Looking up through the hole, I could see her looking down at me. I gave her the finger and laughed. Then, I quickly ran away before she could run down the stairs.

I grabbed a leftover piece of wood that we used to secure the house and hid behind the wall. I heard her coming and whacked her good as soon as I saw her. She fell to the floor and I whacked her again. I hit her until I knew she was dead.

Finally, I stopped and straightened up trying to catch my breath There was blood all over me. I looked down at her dead body. Licking the blood off my lip, I spit at her. "Stupid bitch."

Just then, I realized that the noise downstairs had died down and I became worried. I took my piece of wood and slowly walked down the stairs. Once I rounded the corner, I saw the dead body of the man. I sighed in relief. _But where is Daryl?_ I walked more to the back, I saw him standing there by the door. _Thank God._ My shoulders slumped. I walked over to him, he turned abruptly with his fists up. "It's just me." I said. He relaxed some.

All of a sudden, my emotions caught up with me. I dropped that piece of wood and ran to Daryl, his arms were already open waiting for me. "Are you okay?" I hugged him tightly. He nodded.

"Are you?" He grabbed my face and looked at me. I got a good look at him too. His nose was bleeding and there was a cut on his forehead. Not to mention his ripped up clothes, he was probably hurt other places too. I breathed out sharply, then we kissed each other for a long time. _I'm so glad he's okay. That we're BOTH okay._

We finally pulled apart but still held each other, our foreheads touching. "Let's go upstairs." I said. Daryl nodded. I helped him walk.

* * *

Daryl and I sat on the couch while I took care of and cleaned his wounds. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked him. "Looks like he really did a number on you."

"I'll be fine." He said roughly. "What about you? Ya gotta be extra careful now—

"I'm fine." I said quickly cutting him off. "And I know. But I'm fine. We're fine." I put my hand over my stomach. "If they're even…there."

Daryl sighed. "Well, we don't need to take any chances." I nodded and looked down. Daryl lifted my chin and touched my cheek. "I never should 'a brought you out here."

We stared into each other's eyes. "Yet here we are." I said. "And I wanted to. This was me. I knew the risk, I knew the danger." It's almost been a month since we left Pine Lane. I'm beginning to have second thoughts about leaving, especially now. I sat there sadly thinking about it.

Suddenly, Daryl wrapped his arms around me and held me close. He kissed my temple. "You thankin' about goin' back?" He asked me.

"Yes." I admitted.

"Maybe we should then." He said. I shot him a look. "I want you safe. You and…" He trailed off.

"Please stop saying that." I looked at him. "We don't even know yet."

"Yeah, but…ya might be."

I swallowed hard. "Yeah and I also might not be." I pushed my hair out of my face and sighed. We were silent for a minute. I looked around at the place, it was destroyed. Plus, there's two dead bodies in the house. "We should leave here." I said. "Start looking for another place." I stood up.

"Yeah." Was all Daryl said.

* * *

We picked a house that was close in the neighborhood, as it was getting dark out, and secured it the best we could right then. There was only the two of us and we were in a regular house, which meant one of us would have to keep watch. I volunteered. Daryl didn't want me to but I said I wanted to do it. After a small disagreement, he let things go. So, now I was staring out a window into the darkness.

I sighed and put my hand over my stomach. A few days ago, I realized I was late. I really didn't think much of it because I have always been irregular, but I remembered that one day that Daryl didn't pull out fast enough so figured I would tell him about it anyway. He was the first one to jump to conclusions.

I looked down at my stomach. _What if I really am pregnant though? I can't have a baby out here._ Daryl knows nothing about child birth and what if there were complications? I didn't know what to think. I leaned my head on the window.

"You know...to keep watch, you actually have to keep watch?" Daryl said behind me.

"I am." I said without moving. I heard his footsteps come closer.

"What's 'a matter?" He put his hand on my back and slowly rubbed.

"Nothing." I lied.

"Don't gimme that." He said roughly. "Ya look depressed. So, tell me. What is it?"

I sighed and sat up. "…I don't know." I shook my head. "I'm just worrying about…if I'm actually pregnant."

Daryl was quiet for a minute. "Yeah." He finally said, then wrapped his arms around me. "Me too."

 _Well, you're a great help._ I thought sarcastically. "Daryl, what are we gonna do?"

"We're gonna deal with it." He said without much thought. "Just like we do with everythang."

"No." I spun around to face him. "You don't just _deal_ with having a baby." I quickly walked away and into another room.

"Hold up." Daryl followed me a minute later. "You sayin' this is my fuckin' fault?" He sounded angry. I turned to look at him. Before I could say anything, though, he spoke first. "What do ya want from me, girl?"

"No, stop." I moved closer to him. "I don't wanna fight. I'm just…scared, okay?" I was close to tears now. "And no, it's not your fault. It's my fault and I know that. I'm the one who made us come out here. I knew the risk." I nodded. "I did it anyway. You got hurt because of me and don't think I don't feel bad about that." I sobbed. "I'm trying to think if this was the right thing to do or…or just me being a dumbass." I looked down.

Daryl hugged me tightly to him. I just laid my head on him breathing heavily and trying to calm down. "You ain't a dumbass." He said. "Hey," he made me look at him, "yer not. And don't say it again." He stared down at me. I exhaled sharply. "And that wasn't just all you. You thank I'd let ya come out here if I didn't want to?" He snorted. "This might 'a been yer idea but it was my decision. _I_ got myself hurt. And almost you." He touched my face. I just looked at him sadly. "Now…everythang's gonna be fine. If you wanna go back, then we'll go back. All ya got's to do is say the word…and I'll take us home." He nodded. We stared at each other for a while, then Daryl kissed my forehead. "Quit yer worryin' now. If yer not, yer not. If ya are, ya are. And we'll figure it out, just like we always do." His thumb rubbed my cheek. "Okay?"

I just stared at him like I was an idiot. That was quite a speech he made. I don't think he's ever talked that long before without me getting a word in. I loved everything he said. I love him.

I finally gave him a small smile and nodded. Then, I moved closer for a kiss. Our lips met and it was like all my worries were forgotten. He's the best medicine. We pulled apart and looked into each other's eyes. "You always make me feel better." I smiled. "And I have an idea." I paused and became serious. "Tomorrow…let's look for supplies, I'll get a pregnancy test and…if it's positive, then we'll go back." I shrugged. There was a brief pause.

"And what if it's negative?" Daryl asked in his deep, raspy voice.

I just looked at him for a moment. "I…I don't know." I shook my head.

There was another pause. "Alright." Daryl nodded. "We can do whatever ya want. Whatever you decide…I'll go along with it."

I looked up at him and smiled. That makes me feel so much better that he's on board with whatever it is that I eventually decide. It makes things easier. "Thank you." I said quietly. I hugged him. "I love you."

"Yeah." He sighed. "I must love you, with all this shit I put up with fer ya."

I laughed hard at that. Looking up at him and wrapping my arms around his neck. He couldn't hide his smirk either. I kissed his cheek a few times. "Come on." I said. "Kiss me."

He kissed me hard after that. I reached down and started unbuckling his belt. "Ya really wanna do this now?" He asked me quietly.

"Yes." I breathed. "I really do." He kissed me again, then lifted me taking me over to the couch.

Daryl gently laid me down and I kicked my boots off. I watched him throw his shirt off so I did too but left my bra on. I like when he takes that and my panties off. Daryl paused and looked down at me, I tapped the waistline of my jeans telling him to take them off. He undid the button and zipper, then pulled them off quickly making me giggle.

Now I was only in my bra and underwear. Well…my socks too but they can stay on. "Take my bra off for me." I said all whispery. He reached up, I could feel his fingers lifting the hem and breathed out. I love his hands on me. He threw it aside.

Daryl leaned up and kissed my lips for a moment, then moved down to my neck. I moaned. His hand made its way down and teased my sex causing me to gasp. "Want these off?" He tugged at the waistband.

"Yes." I answered quickly. He teased me by pulling them down some, then stopping. "Daryl." I said impatiently. He finally pulled them completely off and threw them aside.

Daryl began kissing down my body causing me to squirm and moan. "Please now, Daryl." I begged. "Do it now."

He lifted himself up and slammed into me. I gasped loudly. He planted a kiss on my forehead. "Ya okay?" I just nodded so then he began to move.

I was moaning loudly with each thrust. Making love with Daryl is like being on top of the world. He makes me feel like a queen. I love what we have. "Ah, faster." I breathed. He moved faster and harder. "Ah, yes, ah." I moaned.

This was feeling good but after a while, I was getting used to it. I needed more. "Say something." I said. "Tease me. Yell at me."

"Ya want me to spank ya?"

"Yeah." I breathed.

"Course ya do." He said roughly. "Ya like that, don't ya?" I nodded. "That's cuz yer bad and ya know ya deserve it. Ain't that right, little girl?"

"Yes." I said. I moaned louder than before. It was working.

"Yeah, I'll have to take care 'a that when we're done here." Daryl continued to play along. "After this, Imma warm yer naughty little bottom up with a good hand spankin'."

"Yes." I said. "Keep going."

"Then I'm gonna paddle yer ass, just like I said I was gonna do a long time ago. Ya still need it."

"Ah." I moaned.

"Then I'm gonna take my belt off to finish ya up. Yup, right on yer bare ass."

"Oh…yes!" I moaned loudly as I climaxed. It kept going too. It was like that insane, reach for the stars, world series kind of feeling. I breathed rapidly as I started to come down. Daryl went a little longer then pulled out of me, he came all over my stomach.

I looked at it, then at him. There was a brief pause. He looked nervous. Then I started laughing. I kissed his cheek. "That was great play. You're really good at it." I smiled.

"Yeah?" He said.

"Yeah." I slowly got up, then kissed Daryl. "I'll be right back." I told him, then walked away to go take care of myself.

* * *

Daryl and I made a bed on the floor so we could lay with each other. He was holding my hand and looking at it and I was just laying there, next to him. "You sure it was okay that I did that?" Daryl asked me. "Ya didn't seem like ya liked it."

"Yeah, it's fine." I reassured him. "I told you you could, didn't it?" He just looked at me. "So, it's okay." I smiled.

Daryl stared at me for a minute, then he finally looked away. "You hungry?" He said out of nowhere. "We still got that jar 'a jelly."

"I don't want that jar of jelly." I giggled.

"Well, I can make us somethin'."

"I'm not hungry at all actually." I said. "Well, not for food. I'm only hungry for you." I smiled at him, then giggled.

Daryl smirked. "Slow down, girl. I'm a lot older 'an you. I'm tired."

That was pretty obvious but I decided to tease him anyway. I gasped and looked at him in surprise. "What? Daryl Dixon admitted to being tired?"

"Shut up." He said.

"Aw, poor baby." I pushed his hair back and teased some more. "I know what will make you feel better." I climbed on top of him. "I'll ride you this time. That way you won't have to do anything but lay there and enjoy." I grinned.

"Nah, cuz I do. I gotta hurry and lift ya off me and throw ya aside so I can pull out in time."

I giggled. "Well, boo hoo." I mocked him. Then I became a little more serious. "Someone isn't acting themself today."

His expression softened. "Sorry." He apologized. "My side…kinda…hurts." He admitted and looked at me.

I looked down feeling guilty. I had forgotten about that. He must really be in pain then because it's not often that he lets on how he's feeling. As sad as that sounds, it's the truth. "No." I finally said and looked at him. "No, I'm sorry. I forgot about that." I got off him and moved to my spot next to him. "We don't have to. Let's just sit here." I nodded. I gently traced the bruise on his side. "Does it really hurt?"

"Ain't bad." He lied. I gave him a look but decided not to push him. I just kissed his side lightly, then smiled up at him.

I suddenly thought of an idea. "Well, how about…how about a blow job instead?" I smiled lasciviously at him.

He stared at me for a moment, then looked up at the ceiling. "Nah." He waved. "I ain't washed my balls since we left that place."

I just looked at him in shock…then let out a nervous laugh. "Wow. You really know how to get someone out of the mood." I laughed pretty hard. He said that so nonchalantly.

Daryl actually laughed too. I laid down next to him. We continued to laugh for a little bit, then we just laid there with each other. "Want a back rub?" I asked him. "I do them real good."

"Abby, I'm fine. Really. Ya don't gotta…" He stopped what he was saying and squinted at me. "Wait a minute…who's back you been rubbin'?"

I giggled. "Relax. I used to rub my dad's back. Oh, and my pap's occasionally."

"Better just be them." Daryl said roughly.

I decided to tease him again. "Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do if it wasn't?"

He looked down at me and narrowed his eyes. "There's a lot I can do."

"Ah, you're all talk." I waved and smirked. "Your bark is worse than your bite."

"Oh yeah?" He raised his voice a little. "Ya wanna find out?"

"Aw, but I thought you were tired?" I teased some more. I knew I was pushing my luck with him. He glared at me.

"Ya know what?" He grabbed me, making me giggle, and pulled me on top of him. I was now laying on him. "I'm really gettin' sick 'a you makin' fun 'a me." He kissed my cheek a bunch of times. I laughed. It was really cute. Then, he smacked my bottom hard. I squealed but then laughed.

Daryl lifted me off him and gently laid me next him. "Now you lay there and behave yerself." He joked.

"Yes, sir." I played along. We both let out a small laugh.

* * *

We laid together for a little while longer, then I got up and started putting my clothes on. "What are ya doin'?" Daryl questioned me.

"I'm gonna keep watch." I stated.

Daryl seemed to hesitate. "…ya don't gotta. I can do it."

I looked at him and smiled. "I know…but," I pulled my pants up, "I said I was would keep watch." I leaned over and kissed him. "So, I'm keeping watch." I smiled. "You sleep." I ran my hand through his hair when I walked by.

"Yes ma'am." I heard Daryl say. I smiled.


	29. A Little And A Little More

I was stirring some oatmeal in a pot on the stove. It was a gas stove, that's how we were able to use it. My mind was elsewhere, it was like I was on auto pilot. The reason I was like this is because I started thinking about my dad early this morning and I can't stop. What was he doing right now? Not just him, everyone. And it got me thinking about my mom and Carl. How things used to be. Everything was so simple. Back then, I didn't think so. I took that life for granted. Look at where I am now. The only thing I have to be happy about right now is Daryl, which is a pretty big thing because I love him more than I thought I could love anyone. It's just…how complicated things are.

However, I started thinking about how much trouble our relationship caused. Was all of this my fault? Have I always been a problem? My parents had some problems with me when I was a teenager, my dad even said so himself. I remember overhearing him telling Daryl about that.

I tried thinking back. I thought real hard…and then I remembered a specific memory. I don't know why this popped into my head just now. I mean…there were other things but for some reason, this is what came to mind:

 _It was eighth grade, and conditioning for volleyball just started. Only…I didn't want to play volleyball anymore. I wanted to quit so bad but I was afraid to. I was afraid to tell my parents because I practically had to beg them to let me keep playing._

 _After my brain injury due to a car accident a year prior, they didn't want me playing any sports. Well, actually I shouldn't say "they", I should say my dad. Plus, I was afraid that my mom would be upset. You see Carl tried out for sports before, then decided he didn't want to and my mom was very upset about it because she always wanted to do things when she was younger but her parents wouldn't let her. So, she encouraged my brother and I to get involved in sports or other school activities. I was always very athletic, so I decided to go out for volleyball in seventh grade. Well, I don't stick to the same thing for very long so I didn't want to do volleyball anymore in eighth grade. I just didn't want to._

 _Anyway, my mom dropped me off for practice one afternoon and when she drove away, I left the school. I called a friend and had them pick me up and we went places and just hung out. Well, here's where it gets bad. So, I guess the coach called my mom and told her I wasn't there and my parents freaked out and I had all these people looking for me that I didn't even know was happening. And it turned into this HUGE thing all because I was too afraid to tell my parents that I wanted to quit volleyball._

 _So, my friend dropped me off at home and I finally turned my phone back on and saw all of their messages and calls. I knew I was in trouble._

 _They were there at the door as soon as I walked in. After making sure I was okay, I had to explain to them what happened. They were not very happy about the situation, as you can imagine. My dad, especially, was very angry with me. I still remember the look on his face._

That story makes me feel like an idiot now. I should have just told them. I guess there's no point in worrying about it now. However, it's just proving the point that I was just one big problem. Just like I am now. I stood there sadly stirring the oatmeal.

I felt a light slap on my bottom bringing me out of my reverie. I looked at Daryl. "Hey." He said. "Ya okay?"

It took me a few seconds to answer. Finally, I forced a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine." I hit the spoon off of the side of the pot a few times to get some of the oatmeal off. "Want some oatmeal?"

* * *

Daryl and I sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast. He was talking and I wasn't for once. I was too into my thoughts. I felt bad for not really listening to him, but I just didn't feel right. I guess Daryl finally noticed because he asked me.

"What's 'a matter?" He said.

I looked up at my food from him, then back down. "Nothing. I'm fine."

"No, ya ain't." He said roughly. "Ya been like 'is all mornin'. Now you tell me what's wrong."

I pushed my oatmeal around in the bowl. I really didn't feel like doing this right now, but it's my fault for making it obvious. "It's nothing." I finally spoke. "I was just thinking about my dad." I didn't look up from my bowl when I said it. I heard Daryl exhale sharply though his nose, but he never said anything. I knew he wanted to but didn't know what to say. There wasn't anything to say. Neither one of us can fix it, only my dad can himself. And the last time I saw him, he ignored me. I felt this feeling run though my body as I thought of that memory. I bit my lip and pushed my bowl away. Daryl noticed. I wanted this awkward moment to end so I said, "we can go when you're done."

"Nah." He shook his head. "Ya look tired. You ain't slept yet, so we ain't goin' nowhere until you sleep fer a little."

"I'm fine. Really." I didn't want to be anymore trouble. "We can go."

"Abby." Daryl gave me a look. "There's no rush. Just sleep. Just fer a little."

I stared at him, then sighed. I didn't have the energy to argue. "Sure, okay." I nodded. Daryl kissed my forehead, then took our bowls away. I headed into the living room and laid down on the couch. I guess I was more tired than I thought because I fell asleep pretty quickly.

* * *

 _A girl walked into a house drinking from a bottle. She stumbled around like she was drunk. My dad and Michonne were in the house, they started yelling at the girl. The girl must be me, but she didn't look like me._

 _It looked like the three of them were arguing and then she threw the bottle on the floor breaking it to pieces and went into another room. A bedroom._

 _Just then, she reached under the bed and pulled out a little box. She opened it and pulled something out, I realized then that she was rolling a joint. She began smoking it. She didn't look happy, I still hadn't gotten a good look at her face, but I could tell she was sad or maybe angry. Or both._

 _She had another bottle of alcohol and was drinking that now too. Suddenly, she looked up and I saw her face. It wasn't me…it was my sister…_

My eyes shot open and I sat up. _Oh my God! Judith! I hope everything is okay with her._ The last thing I said to her was horrible. I can't let that happen to her. I took a deep breath and looked over. That's when I saw Daryl. He was sitting in the chair staring at me with concern. I felt a little embarrassed.

For a while, neither of us said anything. We just sat there with Daryl staring at me and me with my head down. I didn't know what to say.

"Ya have a nightmare?" Daryl finally asked me.

I sighed deeply before answering. "Yeah. Well…sort of."

"You wanna talk about it?"

I looked up at him. I didn't want him to worry more than he already is. So, I lied. "No, it's fine." I let out a laugh. "It's nothing really." I waved. "I feel better after that nap, though." I nodded. "We can head out now." I stood up and stretched.

"Abby…" Daryl trailed off and looked at me. "Ya didn't even sleep fer an hour."

I looked at him in surprise. _Is that all it was?_ "Well…I'm good." I shrugged. He didn't look convinced. "Daryl, I promise." I smiled.

"Ya sure ya don't wanna sleep a little more?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine."

He seemed to hesitate and for a moment I thought he was going to make us stay here longer. Finally, he let it go. "Alright. If ya say so." He cleared his throat and stood up. "Let's go then."

I smiled and nodded.

* * *

Daryl and I walked around trying to find a store. We were being pretty quiet for the most part. I had a feeling that was going to change soon though. I could feel Daryl giving me glances.

"You sure yer okay?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I'm good." I said without thinking and nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry about earlier. Sometimes I can get a little…" I made a gesture and shook my head, then laughed. "I'm fine, though. You don't have to worry about me."

Daryl hesitated. "…yeah, well…I do."

"I know you do." I stopped us and smiled at him. I made my way closer, he got the hint and we kissed, right there in the middle of the road. It made me feel all warm inside. "Thank you." I smiled at him.

We started walking again and Daryl put his arm around me. Then, his hand slid down my back and grabbed my bottom. I giggled. "You can't do that right now. Unless you wanna end up doing it right here in the road." I giggled again.

"Ya never know." Daryl said making me laugh.

We walked on while holding hands. "We still gotta bit of a travel." Daryl said. "Why don't ya entertain us?"

"What do you mean?" I looked at him quizzically.

"Ya ain't told a story in a long time." Daryl glanced at me, then looked on ahead.

I smiled. "I don't know if I can think of one right now. I'll try." I shrugged. I thought for a while trying to think of a story. I wanted to tell him a good one, one that he hadn't heard yet. _New Years Eve. That's a good one!_ "Well, did I ever tell you about the one New Years Eve we had?"

"I don't 'member nothin' about New Years Eve." Daryl said.

"Okay, well—

"No, I mean…I don't remember nothin' about New Years Eve ever." He said. I laughed realizing what he meant.

"Well, anyway…we were at my aunt's house. My cousins, Carl and I were playing Sims and we each took turns creating a character and then playing. So, the character that I picked was like an alien or something." I made a weird face. "And when I was giving it other features, it ended up looking like Jesus." I laughed.

Daryl gave me a look. "This is the weirdest story ever."

I laughed. "It gets better, I promise." I cleared my throat. "So after the celebration, my parents, Carl and I are heading home and we realized that there's helicopters flying around and the whole neighborhood was like pitch black." My eyes widened a little. "We got in, and the power was out. And I hate darkness, I just hate it so bad. So, it was like a horrible night for me and I really wanted the power to come back on." I paused to swallow. "So, I _somehow_ ended up falling asleep…and I had this dream…" I trailed off remembering. "You're probably gonna laugh at this but, I was hanging out with that Sims character I made, like in my dream. The one that looked like Jesus. Alien Jesus." I laughed.

Daryl gave me another look. "It's gettin' so much weirder."

I laughed. "No, just wait. I'm going somewhere with this. You'll see." I took a breath. "So, this thing, Alien Jesus, told me that a good fortune will come in three hours." I looked at Daryl with my eyebrows raised and smiling. "I woke up after that. And it was like two in the morning or something." I shook my head. "Well, I couldn't get back to sleep after that because I was kind of shaken up after that dream." I laughed.

"I don't blame ya." He raised his eyebrows. "Alien Jesus."

"Shut up." I laughed. "I ended up staying up after that, I just couldn't get back to sleep. Well…at five in the morning, the power came back on. It was three hours later." I smiled at Daryl. "Just what Alien Jesus told me would happen." I giggled.

Daryl looked at me and his eyes were a little wider. "What?"

"I know." I laughed really hard at his reaction. "I told you I was going somewhere with that. Big twist at the end." I laughed. "Isn't that crazy though?"

"Yeah." He said. We were quiet for a minute. "What was the deal with the helicopters?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that part." I said. "Apparently, some kids escaped from Juvie and they were trying to find them." I laughed. "They found them in my neighbor's backyard."

Daryl let out one of his rare laughs. "Wow." He said.

"I know." I laughed some more.

"Listen to you, Giggles." Daryl said. "I forgot that's yer name." I just laughed again. "C'mere." Daryl grabbed me and lifted me, he kissed me a bunch of times on my cheek causing me to laugh even more.

* * *

We finally found a small shopping center and decided to look in there. We went in one store and checked it quickly, there were a few walkers inside. We killed them, then began looking around for supplies.

"I'll look for medical supplies and…feminine stuff." I said. "You look for food and maybe clothes. Anything like that."

"Alright." Daryl said. We went our separate ways.

I found some medicine and some band-aids and put them in my bag. The store was practically empty, things were scarce these days. I sighed while looking around some more.

I wandered around and finally found the women's hygiene section. There were four pregnancy tests left, so I took all of them. There was an item on the shelf that had a picture of a woman with her baby. She was smiling at them. It gave me a strange feeling and then I became saddened.

I stayed there staring at that picture. That was the first time that I actually really thought about being pregnant. I knew there was a possibility, but I didn't really think I actually was, to be honest. _But what if I actually was?_ The thought hit me like a train and my eyes widened. I felt all the blood drain from my face. _Could I be a good mom? What if they don't like me? What if we don't bond or what if we don't become close? My mom and I weren't that close._ I started breathing heavily. It's been a while since I had a panic attack.

"Abby!" Daryl broke me out of my spell. I looked at him still wide-eyed. "You okay?" I could tell he was concerned.

I just stared at him for the longest time. He made his way down the aisle to me. "I said, are you okay?" He was more forceful this time. I shook my head rapidly. "What's wrong? What is it?" He put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me more closely.

I took a deep breath trying to steady myself. "Let's just get out of here." I finally spoke. "Let's find a place. So I can take these tests already." I turned and began walking towards the exit without waiting for Daryl.

* * *

We found a home, checked it then secured it. That always took up a good amount of time. After that, I started taking the items I found out of my bag and setting them on the table so Daryl could see. I looked down at the test in my hand and paused.

"Everythang okay?" Daryl asked me. I looked up at him before answering.

"Yeah." I said. I threw the box down. "Did you find anything good?"

"Not really." He shook his head. We were quiet for a minute. "You gonna…take the test?"

I hesitated. "…not just yet." I finally said. Daryl gave me curious look. "I don't have to pee right now." I kind of laughed. He nodded but didn't say anything. There was an awkward moment between us. "But you know what I am?" I said. "I'm hungry." I put my hand on my stomach. "Are you hungry? I'll make a can of that corn beef stuff."

"Alright." Was all Daryl said. I opened a can and scraped what would be our dinner into a pan, then put it on the stove to heat. I was moving quickly. I stopped and took a deep breath. "You sure yer okay?"

"Yup." I sighed. "Just hungry." I nodded. I wished that he would stop asking me that. I don't want him worrying about me. I know he does and he's going to no matter what, but I just wish he would stop. It's making me feel bad.

"Well, that's a first." Daryl snorted. "Maybe you should eat a little more than usual, you know? Just in case."

I looked down at the food. "Yeah." I sighed heavily.

* * *

It took about twenty minutes for the corn beef hash to fully heat up and get the way we liked it. We both liked it a little burnt, a little crispy. So, now we were sitting at the dining room table eating.

Every time Daryl said something about the test or just me being pregnant in general, I tried changing the subject. He's going to catch on eventually.

"Is it good?" I asked him.

"Yeah, it is." I watched him eat a spoonful. I finished the last of mine and slid my plate away from me a little. "Ya have enough?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah, I'm good." I nodded.

"Here." He scraped some of his onto my plate. "Have some more."

"No." I tried to stop him. "What are you doing? I said, I'm good."

"Just eat a little more." Daryl said, he slid my plate back over. "Just that."

I should have ate it and kept my mouth shut but I was feeling annoyed. More annoyed than usual. "Why?" I snapped.

Daryl stared at me giving me an almost stupid look. "It's fer the baby."

"Oh my…" I put my hand over my face for a moment. "I wish you would stop it with that. We don't even know if I'm pregnant yet."

"Well, we could if you'd take the damn test already." Daryl snapped back.

"I'll take the _damn_ test when I feel like it!" I shouted. "When _I'm_ ready."

"Okay." Daryl said. "So, eat this while yer waitin'." I sighed and shook my head in disbelief. "It's just that. It's only a little more."

"Yeah, well, right now you're driving me a _little more_ crazy." I glared at him. Then, I got up quickly and went into the living room sitting down on the couch.

"Yeah. Ya know what I thank?" Daryl said after some time. He got up and made his way in here. I could feel an argument brewing. "I thank…yer avoidin' takin' that damn test on purpose."

I looked up at him. "Oh yeah? Is that what you _thank_ , Daryl?" I imitated him to mock him. He glared at me. _Just stop it, Abby._ A voice inside me told me. I suddenly felt emotional. "Well…you're right." I looked down. It was hard to keep from crying. My emotions were everywhere today. _I_ must _really be pregnant._

After about a minute maybe, Daryl walked over and sat next to me on the couch. He put a hand on my back. "Baby, what's wrong? Please just tell me. I hate seein' ya like this."

I took a few deep breaths before answering him. I had to calm down and steady myself so I wouldn't cry. "Back at that store," I started, "I had…a thought." I paused. "I know we kind of already talked about it, but…I wasn't thinking about being a parent, I was just thinking about having a kid out here." I looked at Daryl. "But then I realized that I could actually be pregnant and…" I trailed off because I could feel tears coming. I didn't want to cry right now.

"Abby, it's okay—

"No, wait. Just listen." I cut him off, then sighed. "I don't know…if I'm ready to _be_ a parent, Daryl." I looked at him again. "What if I'm not a good mom?" We just stared at each other. "I'm really scared about this." I looked down.

We were both quiet for a while. "Yeah, and you thank I ain't?" Daryl was the one to break the silence. "I'on know the first damn thang about havin' a kid. And I'm like, what the hell are we doin'? We don't know anythang."

That made me laugh. "Not a clue." I said.

"We're idiots." He gave me a rare Daryl grin.

I raised my eyebrows. "You aren't kidding. We totally are." We both laughed for a minute, then smiled at each other.

"But see…we'll figure it out…together." Daryl shrugged. "So," he grabbed my hand and kissed it, "wanna have a baby with me?"

I had to laugh at him. _He's just the sweetest sometimes._ "Yeah." I finally said then nodded.

"But…before we jump to anymore conclusions…" Daryl started to say. I looked at him because I knew what he was going to say. "I thank ya know what to do."

I looked down and took a deep breath. "Yeah." I nodded. "I know."

"Just do it." Daryl urged me. "It's gonna be okay."

I gave him a small smile, then got up, grabbed the little box and headed into the bathroom.

I don't know why I closed the door, I just did.

* * *

I was beginning to feel extremely nervous. I tapped my fingers on the box and turned it over to read the instructions. So, if it's pink…then it's negative. If it's blue, then positive. I nodded to myself. "Okay." I said out loud.

My breathing quickened. My hands started shaking as I tried to open the box.

Just then, something stopped me. I thought about my mom. She got pregnant with me when she was younger than I was now. I'm sure she _and_ my dad were scared. But they did it, and they were good parents.

I thought about how my mom was with Carl and I. I remembered her playing with us when we were little. And just me before Carl was born.

Then, I thought about when she was pregnant with Judith, how she was scared to have a baby out here and she almost ended the pregnancy. She didn't though, she did have the baby and look what happened. She died for her daughter. I thought about the desperation in her voice when she told me her baby had to live.

Then, I thought about now. Me, if I was pregnant and having a baby out here. It doesn't matter if I'm ready or not. It's dangerous out here. Why are we even out here? There's nothing out here for us. There's nothing out here for anyone.

Suddenly, I began breathing heavily. There were all this thoughts and images going through my mind. My mom, my dad, Michonne, Judith, Carl, Daryl, Maggie, Glenn and their baby, walkers, bad people, my mom being pregnant and dying, that picture of the woman with her baby in the store, baby…baby…baby…baby!

"Abby?" There was a knock at the door, then Daryl opened it. We locked eyes. "You okay? You been in here fer a long time." He said. I wasn't breathing as heavily as I was before but I had tears in my eyes.

Suddenly, I snapped out of it. "I wanna go home." I blurted out. Daryl just looked at me. "I want to go back. I don't care what the test says." I rapidly shook my head. "I can't…be out here anymore." I cried. "I wanna go home." I ran to Daryl tightly hugging him, he hugged me back and held me. I just cried into his shoulder.

"Shh." Daryl tried to sooth me. "It's okay. We'll go back. We will." He reassured me.

And just like that…I felt better than I have this whole time.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! So what do you think? Is Abby pregnant? Is going back to the community a good thing? Will they even make it back? Will Abby and Rick ever reconcile? Keep reading to find out. In the** **meantime, please review and let me know what you think! :)**


	30. Two Worlds Became One

We stood outside the walls of Pine Lane waiting for someone to let us in. Finally, we heard a noise and saw the gate begin to open. I gave Daryl a quick glance, he nodded at me so I just gave him a small smile.

The gates opened and there stood Devon. "H-hey." He smiled. "You're back. I didn't think you guys were coming back."

I returned his smile. "Yeah, well…neither did we." I looked at Daryl, then back to Devon.

"Well, come on inside." Devon took a step aside. Daryl and I walked in.

"Hey, baby, Imma take some 'a the stuff we found to the shop." Daryl informed me. "You go on and head home. I'll meet ya there."

"Oh okay." I smiled and we gave each other a chaste kiss. I turned and began walking back to our house.

"Actually…" I heard Daryl say behind me. I stopped and turned back around facing him and giving him a curious look. He walked closer to me. "I'm gonna go out fer a bit. I'm lookin' fer somethin'." He nodded.

I hesitated. "…right now? I mean…we just got back."

"Yeah, it's…kinda important."

"Well…what is it? I could go with you." I suggested.

"No." Daryl answered almost too quickly. I gave him a look. "I just, uh…I gotta do this on my own." He looked down, then back up and nodded. He gave me a look like he hoped I understood.

"But...what about the test?" I whispered moving closer to him. "Don't you want to be there when I take it? I kinda want you to be." I grabbed his hands and smiled. Daryl stared at me for a moment, then kind of pulled away and looked down. I blinked a few times in confusion and studied him. He seemed nervous, like he was really anxious to go do whatever it was that he wanted to do. I was reluctant but only because of the way he was acting. _What could he possibly need right now that is so important?_ I was confused. "Well, okay." I finally said and shrugged. "See you later then."

"Yeah." He nodded. "I won't be long. I promise."

I smiled, then we kissed. It wasn't like just a little bit ago when we gave each other a peck. It was longer, more passionate.

We pulled apart and I smiled at him. "Be careful." I said. He just nodded then began walking back towards the gate. I saw Devon giving us a shocked look and laughed a little. _That's right, everyone. Abigail Grimes and Daryl Dixon are together._

I smiled and started on my way home. I wasn't afraid to show our relationship anymore. I mean…the one person that we didn't want to know, knows about us. So, what's the point in hiding? I want everybody left in the world to know that Daryl is my man.

* * *

I just got in to our house and sat my bag down on the table. I sighed while looking around. _Looks the same as when we left it._ My stomach seemed to growl a little, I put my hand over it. I must be hungry. However, I'm also very tired from our journey and I want to take a shower. Also…I glanced at my bag and dumped out the contents…I have to take this test. Can't forget about that.

I sighed. _So…food, sleep, shower, test._ That's what's on my list for right now. It wasn't a lot but I wanted to get two of those things done before Daryl got back. _Better hop to it._

I decided to shower first. The hot water felt so nice, I let it just cascade over me. It's been a long time since I had a real shower. I know that sounds gross but, hey, what are you supposed to do when you're out there? It's complicated.

After my shower, I changed into some clean and more comfortable clothes, then threw the dirty ones in the hamper. I will have to visit the laundromat tomorrow or something. I will take Daryl's clothes too. _Or maybe we both can go?_ I smiled at thought. We never did laundry together yet. The thought made me giggle.

I decided to wait to eat until Daryl got home, that way we could eat together. And I wasn't about to fall asleep right now, in the middle of the day. I will just wait until tonight. Daryl and I can snuggle together. I smiled.

However, that smile faded when I realized that that left one other thing on my list. And I wanted to do that thing before Daryl got back. I _would_ like him to be here for this but he's not. So, I want to do it so I have something to tell him when he gets back. Plus, the waiting his killing me. I am too damn anxious to wait until he gets back. I want to get this over with.

I left the packages on the table, there I stared at one of them. Exhaling loudly, I knew it was time. _Yup._ I told myself. _We're finally doing this._ I looked up and tapped the box on the palm of my hand. "No more waiting around. Let's go." I said out loud.

I took all of the tests into the bathroom with me. I know I kind of already read the instructions before but I just wanted to make sure I knew exactly what I was doing. So, I read through them briefly, they were all the same and simple enough. I nodded and sighed once.

So, then, I sat on the toilet and peed on the end of the stick. I tried to get as much on there as possible. Then, I sat the stick on the sink and quickly took care of myself. Once I was done with all that, I picked the stick back up and stared down at it. _This is going to be the longest two or three minutes of my life._

In the meantime, I thought about Daryl and I having a kid together and smiled. I was feeling a lot better about the situation after our talk that one day. Also, being back home now in a safe place made me feel even better. Things were going to be okay. I nodded and smiled. My mind wandered.

I kind of psyched myself up and got excited that I almost forgot about the test. The realization hit me and I gasped. That definitely had to be enough time. I looked down at the little screen on the pregnancy test. My eyes widened.

* * *

I was laying down in the bedroom when I heard Daryl finally come in. _I thought he said he wasn't going to be long?_ It was now dark outside. I quietly walked into the living room and met him there. "Hey." I smiled at him. "Everything go okay?"

"Hey, baby." He said. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You were gone for a pretty long time."

"I know, sorry. I didn't mean to."

"It's okay." I nodded. "I'm just glad you're okay and back now." I smiled and walked closer to him. We kissed. That sweet sensation running through me.

We pulled apart, I touched his face for a moment and he kissed my hand making me giggle. "I can make us something to eat." I suggested. "I know you gotta be hungry. We still got those spaghetti o's." I said with a laugh.

"That's fine." Daryl said. He began taking off his jacket and sat down on the couch. I turned away to start heating the food. "Man, am I tired." He said.

"Oh, me too." I said. I dumped the contents into a pot, then sat it on the stove to heat. When I turned around, I saw Daryl sitting on the couch with his head down. I walked a little closer to him. "I'm not pregnant."

He looked up at me immediately. "What? Yer not? You know? Yer sure?" He asked several questions, I wanted to laugh but I had to be serious.

"I know. And I'm sure." I looked down at him sitting there. "I took three tests and they all said the same thing. I figured there was no point in wasting the last one. That way, we have it if we need one."

"Yeah, yeah." Daryl said. There was a brief pause. He sighed, then hugged me putting his head on my stomach.

"Are you…happy?" I asked him.

"Are you?" He looked up at me.

I shrugged before answering. "Yeah, I guess."

Daryl nodded. "Me too."

There was a brief silence. "…I'm a little disappointed, too, though." I admitted with a laugh. "Kinda sucks."

He nodded again. "Yeah. Me too."

I smiled at him. "Well…I guess it's for the best though. And-and we got plenty of time to have a baby."

Daryl nodded at me again, then stood up. "Well, Imma go take a shower before the food's ready."

"Okay." I smiled. We kissed each other. "Love you."

"Love you too." He said.

I gave him a smile before tending to the food. Even though I wasn't pregnant in the end, I'm glad we were both on board about it. It made things easier. Better. And now I know he wants to…at some point. I smiled. We were somewhere in between happy and disappointed about it. And that was okay.

* * *

Daryl was being pretty quiet during dinner. I mean…he usually is quiet but it was almost as if something was bothering him. _Is he really upset over me not being pregnant? I'm pretty much over it already._ "…and I was thinking about maybe hanging out with my friends this week. It's been a long time since I saw them and they're probably wondering where I went." I let out a small laugh. Daryl didn't say anything. I looked at him for a moment, then ate the last few spoonfuls of my dinner. "Did I…heat it good enough?" I asked him. I think I just wanted something to say.

"Yeah…" Daryl said. "It's…good." He finished his food and pushed the bowl aside.

 _Okay, something is definitely up!_ I was getting fed up with his silence. Just like he did when I wasn't acting myself. "Daryl?" I said a little more forcefully to get his attention. He looked at me. "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

"No, no." He answered almost immediately.

"Well, then what's wrong? Why are you being so quiet?"

Daryl looked like he was about to say something but then said, "I'on know." He shrugged.

I hesitated. "…is it…cuz I'm not pregnant?"

"No, it's not that." He looked down. _Okay, now I'm curious._ He was looking extra nervous after that. I wanted to say something else to him but wasn't sure what to say. "Abby…" Daryl said then trailed off. I gave him a questioning look with one eyebrow raised. He really was acting strange. "…I don't know how to do this but…ya wanna get married?" He asked out of nowhere. My eyes widened. _Whoa! What? I was not expecting that at all!_ He completely caught me off guard with that. I was dumbfounded. "I wanna spend the rest 'a my life with you." Daryl continued. "If you'll have me." I still hadn't said anything. "So…do ya?" He looked at me.

I looked back at him with my big eyes. I didn't know what was wrong with me, I guess it was just the shock. I knew the answer though. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him too. "Yes." I nodded. "Of course." I smiled.

Daryl pulled a ring from his pocket, just then, and put it on for me. I looked at it on my hand. _So, this is what was so important that he had to go look for?_ I smiled at it. _I'm a married woman now. Holy shit._ I looked up at Daryl and smiled real big. "You don't know how happy you just made me."

"I thank it's the other way around." He raised his eyebrows. I looked back down at the ring on my finger.

All of a sudden, my emotions caught up with me and I started laughing. Yes, laughing. Like hysterically! Daryl was giving me a strange look. Suddenly, I launched myself at him, he caught me and we kissed. I was sitting on his lap, I felt his hands come around and grab my bottom. I pulled away and a moan escaped from me. "Take me now." I said. "The bedroom."

Daryl didn't need me to tell him twice. He quickly lifted me and carried me into the bedroom while we kissed. We practically threw each other's clothes off. Daryl kissed down my body but it wasn't all slow and sweet like when he usually does it, it was fast and hard. I laughed. _I was up for some good fun._

He stopped just then and looked at me, I looked back at him and smiled. Then, he leaned up and kissed my lips. Our perfect fit, our puzzle pieces. That's when it hit me. Two worlds just became one. We're married. He's my husband and I his wife. And I couldn't be happier in that moment.

"I'm ready." I breathed. Daryl pulled away and was about to go inside me but I stopped him. "Hey." I said. "Don't pull out." I smiled and bit my lip. He didn't say anything to that, just repositioned himself.

Just then, I felt him slowly inside me. He didn't slam into me like he normally does. I guess he wants to be a gentleman. I giggled inside. _My sweet Daryl._

He started out moving pretty slow, then began to really move. I moaned with each thrust. It could just be all in my mind, but something about Daryl becoming my husband made things _feel_ better. I don't know, maybe I'm just being stupid. But as far as I knew, this was fantastic.

"Ah, faster." I said all whispery. He moved faster. I moaned loudly. I could feel that I was close already. I didn't even need anything extra this time. All I had to do was look at my beautiful man.

Suddenly, everything stopped and I felt one of my favorite feelings in the world. I moaned out loudly as I climaxed. Daryl and I were the only two people left in the world, that's what it felt like. And in that moment, I was okay with that.

Daryl finished and he came inside me just like I asked him to. I smiled afterwards and kissed his cheek. "I love you, _husband."_ I giggled.

He gave me a stupid look but smirked. "Corny." He tapped my nose. "But I love you, too, _wife."_ He said. I laughed.

* * *

We laid next to each other in bed and held each other. I couldn't stop staring at my ring though. _I'm married. I'm married. I'm married!_ "Hey, I'm Mrs. Dixon now." I said.

"Yup." Daryl nodded.

"Unless you'd rather take my last name?" I teased. "Daryl Grimes."

"Nah, I don't thank so." He said roughly. "Yer a Dixon." He looked at me. I laughed.

"Abigail Dixon." I said. "Abby Dixon. Has a nice ring to it. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, it does. But yer name's beautiful no matter what. Just like you." He kissed my temple causing me to smile.

"You know, you're a true gentleman." I said. "Really."

"Shut up."

"No, you really are." I smiled at him, I ran my fingers through his hair. I realized just then that his hair was getting really long. I love his hair, don't get me wrong, it's just…it has to be the right length for him. It was a little too long. "You need a haircut." I giggled.

"Oh yeah, do I?" Daryl said. "Thank I'll grow it down to my ass." I knew he was only joking but the thought of his hair being _that_ long was not attractive at all.

"Yeah, right. I'll shave your head in your sleep." I teased back.

"And then I'll shave yers."

My mouth gaped opened. "You wouldn't dare."

"Ya wanna find out?" He looked at me with raised eyebrows.

I let out a small laugh but still squinted at him. "I couldn't pass for being bald. You on the other hand, probably could." I laughed. "And if you ever shaved my head or cut my hair, Daryl Dixon…you'd never touch my lady parts again." I teased but said it in a serious way.

He pretended to get scared. "Yes, ma'am."

I laughed and poked at his side, he kind of winced. I stopped right then. "Oh my God, Daryl. Are you ticklish?"

"No." He said too quickly. I knew he was lying now.

"Oh my God! You definitely are!" I got excited. I started poking at his side some more. He would cringe and try not to laugh but I saw a glimpse of a smile. "How did I never know you were ticklish?" I laughed and tickled him some more.

"Come on, Abby." He chuckled a little as I poked him. "Knock it off."

"Nope. Never ever again." I said and kept doing it.

"Stop it. Hey!" He chuckled. "I'm gonna spank ya."

"Hey, don't threaten me with a good time." I laughed. "Okay, I'll leave my man alone…for now." I wrapped my arm around him and laid my head on his chest, looking up at him innocently.

He glared down at me. "Yer lucky I like ya." He said roughly.

"I know." I played along and grinned childishly. I started playing with his chin hair. "This is the perfect length."

"Oh yeah?" He looked like he was enjoying that, he always did. Daryl grabbed me just then and planted a bunch of kisses on my cheek. _I_ always loved when he did that. "So…you wanna cut my hair?"

I stopped and just looked at him. "What?"

"Ya said it's too long. Why don't you cut it fer me?"

I blinked a few times at him taking in what he said. _He wants me to cut his hair?_ "I-I don't know. I mean…wouldn't you rather have someone who has experience cut your hair?"

He seemed to turn his head and sigh. "Or I could just have my girl do it. I don't want no one else touchin' me." He spoke roughly.

I blushed. _Well, I do like that. Maybe it won't be so bad._ "Well…okay." I shrugged. "If you really want me to?"

* * *

Daryl pulled out a chair and sat in the living room where there was enough space, and I gathered up what I needed. I took a deep breath and made my way over to him. "Just letting you know, I don't have a lot of experience with cutting hair. I've never really done this before." I said. "Well, actually…I made myself bangs one time. And when I went to the salon with my mom sometime after, they told me I did a pretty good job." I smiled at the memory.

"See then, you can do this." Daryl said. "I got faith in ya."

I scoffed. "Well, I'm glad _you_ do." I rolled my eyes but laughed. "I'm gonna need it."

"It's okay." He tried to reassure me. "I hate my hair anyway so it's fine if ya fuck it up. I don't care." He shrugged.

 _Well, jeez._ I thought. "Okay, well…I'm gonna start now." I looked down at the scissors and set them aside for now. I started by combing Daryl's hair out. It was a little ratty at the ends. I saw him cringe. "Damn, Daryl, don't you ever comb your hair?"

"Nah." Was all he said. _Of course._ I should have known the answer to that. We are talking about Daryl Dixon here.

I continued combing his hair until there were no knots and it was even on all sides. I moved to the front and looked at him. His hair was never like this before, I almost laughed but didn't because I know how sensitive the male ego is. "Okay." I said with a sigh. "I'm going to start cutting now." I picked up the scissors. "You sure you want me to do this? It's not too late to back out."

"Will ya just do it?" He kind of snapped.

"Well, jeez, Mr. Grumpy." I teased him. I looked down at the scissors and took a deep breath. "Well, here goes." I combed part of his hair in the back and chopped off the ends with the scissors. _Okay. That wasn't so bad._

I continued. I did it all the way around and compared making sure it was the right length. "So…how much am I taking off here?" I asked him.

"I'on know." Daryl said apathetically. _I'm sure there were about a million other things he'd rather be doing right now. Well, that make two of us._

"Daryl?" I said a little annoyed. "Just tell me how short you want it to be."

"However short you want it." Was all he said. I still had no idea what that meant. I mean…what if I did and he didn't like it? Well, that's his problem. He said it so…

"Alright, fine." I sighed.

I cut some more of it off. It was looking okay to me. I went all around his head even fixing his bangs. When, I figured that was good enough, I looked at it from the front. Something still looked a little weird about it, but then I realized it's probably because he usually doesn't have it styled like that. So, I fixed it to how he always wears it, then took another look. _Much better._ I smiled.

"It looks good." I said.

"Good." Daryl said.

I combed through his hair a few more times trying to get any loose hairs out. Then, I ran my fingers through it. _It actually looks_ really _good._ I grinned from ear to ear feeling proud about my work. I absentmindedly let out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?" Daryl said.

I took a minute to answer. "Nothing." I continued to play with his hair. "It just looks really nice." I smiled.

"Bet it don't look as nice as you." He said and pinched my bottom. I giggled.

"None of that right now." I said and laughed. "I think it's done."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Why don't you have a look?"

Daryl got up from his chair and kind of shook his hair out. I rolled my eyes but still laughed. _So much for fixing his hair._ He looked at himself in the mirror. "Hm." He said. "Ya did a good job."

"Well, thanks." I said and just smiled at him. He stared at me for a minute, then made his way closer to me.

He lifted my chin. "So pretty." He said quietly. "I love that smile." Daryl ran his thumb over my bottom lip, then kissed the corner of my mouth. He worked his way down to my neck. I giggled. "Come on, let's go to bed."

"But we didn't clean up your hair yet."

"Don't worry about that. We'll take care of it later." He said roughly. Suddenly, he lifted me and carried me into the bedroom. I giggled.

* * *

When I woke up, it was morning and Daryl wasn't next to me. He's always up early though. I stretched while sitting up. Just then, I noticed a note on the bedside table. It was from Daryl. It read:

 _Went hunting. Didn't want to wake you._

I smiled at his note. Oh well. It's nice to have some time to yourself sometimes. I got up and decided to take a quick shower. Once I was done with that, I threw on some clean clothes and headed out to the kitchen to make some coffee. It's been a while since I had a nice, steaming, hot cup. I realized in the process of making the coffee that Daryl's hair wasn't on the floor anymore. He must have cleaned it up.

Just then, I heard a knock at the door and figured Daryl was back. I smiled. I walked over to the door with my head down and opened it. When I looked up, I saw my dad standing there. I stopped dead in my tracks.


	31. Then And Now

My dad and I locked eyes, for a while no one said anything. It had been a long time since the last time I saw him and even longer since we talked. I became sad all over again from that memory. I wonder what he wants?

"Hi." He finally said.

"Hi…" I said quietly.

He seemed to hesitate. "…heard you were back."

 _He knew I was gone? I wasn't even sure if he had known._ I shook the thought and cleared my throat. "Yeah, we just got back yesterday." I crossed my arms in front of me. It's cold out here.

"Were you…on your way somewhere…?" He pointed behind him with his thumb.

"No." I answered too quickly. "No, I wasn't on my way out."

He nodded, then we kind of just awkwardly stood there again. "So…are you okay?"

I became angry right then. Does he care if I'm okay? He ignored me the last time I saw him. It hurt me badly. "What do you want?" I asked him ignoring his question.

He looked a little taken aback. "Just to talk."

I was still angry but it turned more to an annoyed feeling. "Well…let's go inside. It's cold out here." I headed back inside without caring if he followed.

"Okay." I heard him say.

I closed the door as soon as we were both inside. "I just made coffee." I informed him. "You want some?"

"Uh…sure." My dad hesitated. I got us each a cup, then sat down in the living room. "Thanks." He said.

We were quiet again. I wondered if he was ever going to say what he really wanted? I know he didn't walk over just to see if I was okay. My old dad would do that, but I didn't know who this guy was anymore. I never thought he would treat me like that.

"Where's Daryl?" My dad finally spoke.

"He went hunting."

He nodded. There was a brief pause. "So…where'd you guys go?"

"I don't have to tell you that." I shook my head.

"Abby." He said calmly.

I decided to take it down a notch. Even though I'm angry with him and have every right to be, he's still my dad. "…we just went out…there." I shrugged. "I couldn't be here anymore after what happened." I looked down for a minute. "Anyway, I had— _we_ had a pregnancy scare, so we came back." I don't even know why I said that. My dad's eyes widened. "I'm not." I said before he asked anymore questions. "I'm not."

"Oh." He nodded. "Well, are you okay at least?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine. We were both happy about it, especially me." I let out a small laugh. "But we were also kind of depressed about it."

"Huh." My dad said. He put his head down for a moment, then looked back up at me. "Are you happy?"

I gave him a stupid look and kind of huffed with a laugh. "I just told you—

"No." He cut me off. "I mean…are you _happy_?"

I blinked a few times. _I know what he means know._ "Oh." I said. "Yeah." I nodded. "Yes, I am. Very happy."

My dad hesitated for a moment after that. "…is he…treating you right?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. " _He_ has a name. And yes, he does. You know he does."

My dad nodded, then looked down. I noticed he was looking extra nervous, almost like he was going to throw up. "Abby…" He started to say but trailed off. "I'm sorry." He looked up at me. "I'm so sorry for how I treated you…that day." He swallowed hard. _You should be._ I thought. I was about to say something smart but decided not to. He seemed like he was getting choked up and his apology seemed genuine. "I came over the one day but you guys were gone. I heard from Devon that you left and said you weren't coming back. I thought about going to look for you but then didn't. I just kept wishing that you'd come back." He wiped a tear away.

Seeing him like that made me feel emotional and I thought about everything that happened with us, which made me more emotional. My lip began to quiver but I tried to hide it. "Well," I started, "you got your wish." I took a sip of my coffee trying to calm down.

"I still don't know how I feel about this whole thing with you and…Daryl." My dad then said. "But if you're happy. I'm happy."

I brightened up at the sound of those words. "Really?" I asked wide-eyed. "Really, daddy?"

He nodded. "I love you."

It felt like a huge weight was lifted off of me and a feeling that I didn't even know how to explain was gone. I put my coffee mug down and put my hand over my dad's hand. I nodded. "And…it's okay. I forgive you." I said. He smiled at me, I smiled back. I was so relieved.

There was a brief pause. "So, you're really happy, huh?" My dad asked me.

"Yeah." I said. "There's not going to be anyone else." I shook my head. "We love each other." I looked down and saw the ring on my finger. _I wonder if he noticed?_ "Speaking of," I held my hand up showing him the ring, "I'm married." I smiled. "Daryl asked me last night and I said yes."

My dad's eyes went wide a little but he still kind of smiled. "My baby girl is married?"

"Yup." I grinned.

He let out a small laugh, then looked down. "Well…I'm happy for you." My dad said and looked back up. "Still wanna kick his ass though."

"Dad." I smiled. "Everything is fine." I paused. "And…my husband might win that fight." I teased. It was kind of the truth though.

My dad's mouth gapped opened but he still smiled. "What? You bet against your old man? I still got some fight left in me, you know?"

I laughed. "Dad." _He's so lame._

He laughed too. "But I need to save that energy for grandchildren." He looked at me and smiled. I smiled back.

"Aw, you're gonna be the best pappy." I suddenly felt excited. My dad's dad was seriously the best person ever! He was my favorite grandpa and my favorite person, next to my dad, of course. "I just hope…that happens one day."

"It will." My dad tried to reassure me. "Sometimes, it takes time."

I looked at him. "Oh my God. We are not having this conversation right now." I laughed.

"Yeah, can I take back what I said?" My dad said awkwardly. We both laughed.

There was a brief pause. "So, I got to talk to you alone, which is good." My dad said. "Now I want to talk to Daryl alone and then both of you together."

I became nervous just then. "Oh." I blinked. "Why do you want to talk to Daryl alone?"

"Just a conversation a dad has with the man that's taking his daughter away." My dad said and shrugged. He said it in a joking way, but I think he was only half joking.

"You're not losing me." I said and gave him a small smile.

"No, not really but in a way, yes, I am." He nodded. "So, I'm gonna talk to him." He folded his arms.

"Dad…" I looked at him seriously. "You didn't bring your gun, did you?" My eyes were wider. He sat up a little and moved his shirt showing me his gun. "Oh my God." I sat back. "You not allowed to hurt my husband." I pointed at him. "And please don't make him uncomfortable." I said. My dad laughed. "You know how Daryl is."

"Baby, don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine." My dad said.

I sighed. "Yeah, well, I'd feel better if you didn't have your gun on you."

He smiled at me. "It stays right here." He patted his side. I shook my head and sighed but then still laughed. He did too.

"You want another cup while we're waiting?" I asked him. "I have no idea when he'll be back."

"Uh…actually, baby. That's okay." My dad said. "I'm gonna head home now. I promised Judith I'd walk her to her friends house once I got back. But why don't you guys come by later so we can talk?" My dad nodded. "That way, you can see Michonne and Judith."

I thought about what he said. That's a great idea. That way, I can give Daryl a heads up and he won't be surprised. "Yeah." I smiled. "Sounds good."

"Okay." My dad said. He was putting his jacket back on. "Speaking of your sister, she's been really upset ever since you left. And she told us what you said to her the last time." He scolded me with his eyes. He didn't have to say anything.

"I know it was awful." I said with my eyes closed. "I'm the older one, I should have been more mature. But I'm gonna fix things with her." I nodded.

"Well, good." My dad gave me another look.

I walked my dad out and stood in the doorway. "Oh, what's a good time for us to come over?" I asked him.

"Abigail, you don't have to come over any certain time. Just come when you want." He gave me a look. "In fact, you can come over anytime you want."

"Okay." I smiled. "Well…bye, dad. I'm glad we talked."

"Me too." He said. He started off the porch.

I suddenly got a strange feeling. "Dad, wait." I called. He stopped and turned around facing me. I made my way up to him and hugged him tightly. He immediately hugged me back. That was the only thing that was missing from our reunion. "I missed you so much." I said. I got tears in my eyes.

"Me too." He said sadly. "And I'm sorry…about everythang." I felt him nod. I just nodded too. My dad planted a kiss on my forehead. Then, he did it a bunch more times. I smiled. I don't care how old I am, he can do that whenever he wants.

We finally let go of each other, I looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you, daddy."

My dad smiled at me for a moment. "No." He eventually said. He touched my cheek and wiped a tear away with him thumb. "Thank you." We both smiled at each other. I watched him walk away. I felt so much better now that we cleared things up.

* * *

I had a little over an hour to myself before Daryl got back. "Hi." I greeted him at the door. He gave a "hi" back then we kissed. I hugged him. "I hate when you leave." I said with a laugh.

"Sorry." Daryl said. "I got some squirrel." He gestured to them on his back. "Wanted to get a deer but…"

"That's okay. You got a lot." I smiled.

Daryl and I started taking care of the squirrels almost immediately. "Aw, poor squirrely." I said and petted its head. Daryl snorted. "What?" I looked at him. "It is sad. They're so cute."

"Yeah, they taste good too." Daryl said. I gave him an annoyed look but then laughed.

There was a brief pause. "So…guess what happened today while you were gone?"

"Hm?" Daryl said without looking up.

"My dad came over." I stated. He looked at me then, I raised my eyebrows at him. "We had a nice chat and…we're good now." I shrugged.

"Really?" He asked me.

"Yup." I nodded. "But, uh…you're probably not gonna like this." I paused. "My dad wants us to come over tonight. Said he wants to talk to you…and then both of us together."

When Daryl looked at me, his eyes were a little wider than before. "He does, huh?" He nodded.

"Yeah." I swallowed. I was feeling nervous because Daryl didn't seem like he wanted to go. I mean…I knew he wouldn't be thrilled about it but I still want him to do this. "It's okay. He's not mad anymore." I shook my head. He made a noise through his nose. "And it would mean a lot to me if you did this." I put my hand on his back.

Daryl was quiet for a minute. "So, you forgave 'im?" He gave me a look.

I blinked a few times in confusion. "Of course, I did. He's my dad."

"Big deal." Daryl snapped, taking me by surprise. "Why the hell would ya do that after what he did to ya?" He seemed angry.

I hesitated. I was feeling sad now because I was happy about my dad and I making up but I didn't think this would happen. _He doesn't want to go._ "…I just told you." Was my answer to his question. He was glaring, not at me but he was just mad it seemed. "Daryl, what's wrong? Why don't you want to talk to him?"

"Cuz he hurt my girl." Daryl snapped. "You may have forgave 'im but I sure didn't."

Realizing what he just said, I smiled at him even though he wasn't looking at me. I sat on his lap and kissed his cheek. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I said, "it's okay now. Really. I'm fine. Better. I'm glad we made up." I nodded. His expression still looked the same. _It's going to take more convincing than just that. I knew what I had to do._ "Will you do this? Please? For me?" I smiled sweetly at him.

"Don't-don't do that?" He shook his head.

"Do what?" I smiled innocently. I knew exactly what I was doing.

"That." He said.

"Well…I really want you to go." I did my best to give him puppy dog eyes. "We can all make up and be happy again." I smiled. I pushed his hair back on both sides.

Daryl sighed, then paused for a while. "Alright, if ya really want me to. I'll go."

"Really?" I asked excitedly. "You'll go?" I smiled. He nodded. "Yay!" I grabbed his face and planted a few kisses on his cheek. Then, I rubbed his chin hair with my palm making myself giggle.

Daryl looked annoyed but he couldn't hide his smirk. "Get the hell outta here."

I giggled and got off his lap. "I wanna eat and fuck first though." I stated.

Daryl raised his eyebrows when he looked at me and kind of laughed. "Yes, ma'am."

I licked my front teeth while thinking. "Let's do it in the shower." I blurted out. "I don't care how small it is. I really want to."

* * *

Daryl practically slammed me against the wall in the shower, not painfully or anything. I was breathing very heavily as he fucked me hard. He was using the wall to help hold me up, and my arms were wrapped around his neck.

Daryl kissed down my neck and grabbed and slapped my bottom. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I climaxed. It was hard to hold myself up. I laid my head on his shoulder until he was done.

Daryl kissed me and set me down. I don't even know how I'm standing, my legs kind of feel like jelly. We looked at each other, I smiled. Daryl had his usual intense look. That was one of the best times I think. _I knew I would like doing it in the shower._ I giggled inside.

"Let's try this again." I said and laughed while grabbing the shampoo. We were going to wash each other first but once Daryl started massaging my scalp while shampooing my hair, it was all down hill from here. I squirted some into the palm of my hand and began washing Daryl's hair. He squinted his eyes like a child making me smile.

I let him wash that out, then I squirted some body wash into my hand and began soaping him up. I started with his arms, then went down to his chest and stomach. "Turn around." I told him, he did. Then, I washed his beautiful back, giving him kisses. I don't care about his scars. If anything, it just makes me love him more. I wanted to kiss every single one of them.

I started to wash his bottom but he pulled forward making me laugh. I guess I caught him off guard. "Alright." Daryl said roughly. "My turn." He grabbed some soap.

"I think you mean _my_ turn." I smiled.

"Nah, I know what I said. I get to touch you now." He said. I laughed. He started with my arms just like I did with him, except he was a little faster than me and not as gentle. That doesn't mean it didn't feel good.

While, he was washing my back, he moved his hands in front of me and kind of played with my breasts. My breathing quickened. Then, he moved down to my sex. I gasped. It was feeling too good and I was getting turned on again. I couldn't take it anymore. I spun around and kissed him on the lips. Then, I was "slammed" against the wall again for round two.

* * *

Way later, we were sitting at the table eating our squirrel stew that I made. Well…you know, Daryl caught them so I cooked them. We were eating in our underwear. It was my idea. _Hehe._

"Yer a damn good cook, woman." Daryl said with a mouthful of food.

I smiled. "Ya like it?"

"Yeah." He was like really going into his food.

I smiled again. "Guess you worked up quite an appetite in there, huh?" I teased him.

"Hell yeah. Thought we was never gettin' outta there."

I laughed pretty hard at that. It was true, after all. I dipped some bread in my stew, then ate it. "I love bread." I said out loud.

"I love _you_." Daryl said. I smiled at him. He grabbed my face and kissed my cheek a bunch of times while he still had food in his mouth. I giggled.

"Ew." I wiped where he just kissed me. "You got stuff on my face." I still laughed though. Suddenly, he leaned back over and licked my face taking me by surprise. "Ew, Daryl. I can't believe you just did that."

"I can." He said without looking at me. "You taste as good as yer food." He lifted the bowl and started drinking the broth. I smiled at him.

"Well, I'm gonna go get ready." I stood up and kissed the top of his head as I walked by.

* * *

"Hi." I said as my dad opened the door for us.

"Hi, baby." He smiled at me. Then, he looked around at Daryl and gave him a more serious look. "Daryl."

"Hey." Daryl said quietly. We stood there for a minute.

"Well, come inside." My dad stepped back so we could go in. I saw Michonne standing there at the counter.

"Hi." I said to her and smiled.

"Heyyy!" She said happily. We hugged tightly, then she surprised me by kissing my head. I smiled. Her and Daryl also hugged briefly. "So, how are you guys?"

I glanced at Daryl. "We're good." He answered for the both of us and put his arm around me.

"Well, it's good to have you back." Michonne smiled. I smiled back at her, then we kind of just stood there. _This is awkward._ I thought.

"So, where's Judith?" I asked.

"In her room." Michonne said, she was a little more serious when she said that.

"I'll go see her." I said.

"Yeah." My dad said. "While you're doing that, why don't me and Daryl step out for a minute." He kind of clapped Daryl on his shoulder. I watched him walk outside, leaving the door open. Daryl gave me a look. I just shrugged. He went out there, then I walked into my old room. _I sure hope they don't get into a fight._

Judith was laying on her bed facing away from me. "Hey, kid." I said. "You asleep?"

She rolled over and looked at me. "Abby? You're back?" She sat up in her bed wide-eyed.

"Yup." I smiled. She just sat there and looked at me. "Well, gimme a hug." I said. She got up and came over to me. We hugged tightly and I pulled her onto my lap.

"You're not mad at me no more?" She asked innocently.

"I never was." I cocked an eyebrow. "But…I am sorry about what I said to you." I nodded. "You're my baby sister and my best friend. I love you." I smiled. She smiled back. I decided to give her a little kiss on her head.

Just then, I looked out the window and I could see my dad and Daryl on the porch talking. I got an idea. "Come on." I lifted my sister off my lap. "Let's eavesdrop." I said.

"What's that mean?"

"It means, let's listen in on their conversation." I raised my eyebrows and cracked the window.

"Okay!" Judith said excitedly. She sat on the bed next to me. I started listening to my dad and Daryl talk. I was so curious as to what he was going to say to Daryl.

"…I'm gonna be honest," my dad started, I didn't know how long they were talking before this, "when I found out that day…and even a few days after…I wanted to knock your teeth out." I gasped inside and widened my eyes. "But Michonne and Abby made me realize it was different than what I thought. And I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but she seems happy and that's all I want." My dad paused. "Do you love my daughter, Daryl." My eyes went even wider.

"Yeah." Daryl said. "I do."

They kind of just stared at each other for a while. I saw my dad nod once at Daryl. "Well, I know I can trust you and I can rely on you to keep her safe and to take care of her, but…if you ever hurt her, I will kill you." My dad said seriously. _Dad?_ I wondered how serious he really was.

"Ya mean…how _you_ hurt her?" Daryl said roughly. I almost laughed, I was surprised he even said that. _He got you there, Rick._

There was a brief pause while they stared at each other again. "You know, Daryl," my dad started, "you don't know how shitty I've felt since then." He paused again. "She's my baby girl. You'd understand if you had a daughter of your own."

"Hm." Judith said. "Boring." She walked back over to her bed and started doing something.

"But…if she's happy, I'm happy." My dad said. "And she seems happy so…" He trailed off. "I'm gonna ask you now, are we good?"

There was a brief pause, I held my breath the whole time. "Yeah." Daryl finally said. I exhaled in relief and saw them shake hands. I smiled at that image.

"One more thing," my dad started, "Abby is smart but…she's still young." He nodded his head. "And she has confidence in situations that…I don't think she can always handle, which worries me." He put his head down. _What is he talking about? Deep down, I knew but I didn't want to admit it._ "What I'm trying to say is…she still needs guidance. You know what I mean?" My dad leaned forward a little.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, I get it." He paused. "But she can also handle herself." He let out a small laugh just then, almost as if he remembered something specifically. "She's small but she sure can fight."

My dad smiled and raised his eyebrows. "That she can. And good." He gave Daryl a look. I smiled and blushed at the two of them praising me. "Still," my dad sighed, "you know what I mean. Sooner or later, she's going to come across someone that's stronger. Bigger. She _can't_ always handle herself. She _thinks_ she can but she can't."

"Alright." Daryl said quickly. It was like he wanted to change the subject. "I'll keep her safe. Ain't a problem." He nodded. I sighed. I knew where he was coming from though.

My dad nodded back. "Okay. Let's…get Abby out here so I can talk to both of you."

I gasped and moved from my spot, quickly looking around the room to find something to make it look like I was occupied. I picked up one of Judith's books and sat on the bed looking at the pictures. There was a knock at the door, then it opened. "Abby?" My dad said.

Looking up at him from the book like I hadn't heard a thing, I said, "oh, hi, daddy." I smiled sweetly.

He smirked at me, I know he could see right through me. "Come on out here." He gestured. I put the book down and stood up, following him out. He put his hand on my back and rubbed quickly.

I smiled at Daryl and sat next to him on the porch, then grabbed his hand. My dad closed the sliding glass door, then sighed. He stood there with his hands on his hips. "So…here's what I have to say to you two, and I'm just going to say it and be completely honest." He looked at us seriously and took a step closer. "This, your relationship, all of that still makes me uncomfortable." He started. I cleared my throat and slowly pulled my hand out of Daryl's and sat up more straight. "It's all still new to me and it's going to take a long time for me to get used to it." He nodded. He looked at me. "But…Abby, I know you're not a kid anymore." My face flushed a little. "And I'll accept your relationship, or at least try to." I smiled and was about to say something but my dad spoke first. "But remember what I said. Uncomfortable. Not used to this." He waved his hands. "Please respect that."

"We will." I said and smiled. Daryl and I glanced at each other. "We will." I said again.

My dad nodded. "Good." He finally said.

* * *

Daryl and I stayed for a little longer, then decided to head home because it was getting late. We said bye to Michonne and Judith. My dad walked us out.

"It's dark and cold." My dad said. "You guys want a ride?"

I glanced at Daryl before answering. "No, that's okay. We can walk. We'll be fine." I smiled. "Thanks, though."

My dad nodded, then looked at Daryl. "Take care of my baby girl." He gave him a serious look.

"Don't plan on doin' nothin' else." Daryl said, he sounded completely serious. I blushed from the two of them talking about me. They shared a look, then shook hands. My dad looked at me next.

I smiled. "Bye, daddy." We hugged.

"Bye, sweetheart." He kissed my temple. We stopped hugging but he kept his arms around me. "And just because you're married now," he started to say, my smile faded because I got nervous about what he was going to say, "don't think that you can't come over anymore. I wanna see you at least once a week." He sounded so serious that I had to laugh.

"Okay." I said with a laugh. "I'll come over all the time." I rolled my eyes.

"You better." My dad was serious.

I thought of an idea right then. "We'll go on a run together soon." I nodded.

He nodded back. "Sounds good." We hugged again briefly and I kissed his cheek.

"Alright, it's cold out here." Daryl said. "Let me take my girl home." He looked at me. I smiled.

"Hey, she was my girl first." My dad said. I blushed again but still smiled. _That may be true, dad, but I'm Daryl's girl now._


	32. Perfect For Each Other

Daryl and I were getting ready for bed later that night, I was all smiles. "I'm so glad things are back to the way they were." I said.

"They ain't." Daryl said roughly.

I looked at him while changing out of my clothes. "Well, not completely but at least we made up. I'm happy."

"I'on know what yer so happy for." Daryl said with raised eyebrows. "Nothin' even changed."

I gave him a strange look. "My dad accepted us."

He snorted. "No, he didn't." I was about to say something but Daryl spoke first. "He basically said that he's okay with our relationship but not really."

I laughed. "Well, put yourself in his shoes. Imagine—

"Yeah, I know." Daryl cut me off. "Just forget it." He shook his head. I smiled at him, then we kissed.

"So…are we gonna…?" I smiled lasciviously at him.

"Hell yeah we are." He grabbed me and pulled me down onto the bed making me giggle.

* * *

I made breakfast for Daryl and I the next morning. We had pancakes and scrambled eggs. Usually, I would just make one or the other but I felt like having a nice breakfast today. I sat Daryl's plate in front of him, then got mine and sat down.

"So, I was thinking about hanging out with some friends tonight." I said. "I haven't seen them in a long time. Like to see what those dumbasses are up to." I let out a small laugh. I wanted to brag to them about being married.

"Alright." Daryl said without much thought. He looked up just then like he thought of something. "Wait, there gonna be other guys there?"

I kind of huffed with a laugh. "No. I mean…probably not. Unless one of them invites their boyfriend." I ate a piece of pancake, then had a thought. "You wanna come?"

"Hell nah." He said roughly. "I ain't sittin' around with a bunch 'a immature girls."

I laughed. I knew he would say no. "Wait, you think I'm immature?"

He took a gulp of his orange juice, then shrugged. "Sometimes."

My mouth gaped open but I still laughed. "Wow, okay." Daryl smirked. "Well, I shouldn't be too late or anything."

"Alright." He shrugged. "While yer out, I might go on a run or huntin' or somethin'."

"Oh okay." I said still chewing. "Try to find me a box of tampons, please."

"Ugh." Daryl said.

I gave him an annoyed look. "And you called me immature?"

"Yeah, well, we're prefect fer each other."

"…yeah, we are." I giggled. He leaned over and kissed me.

"Imma head out now, I thank. That way I don't gotta deal with it bein' dark." Daryl said. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

"Oh okay." I stood up. "Well, you want a blow job before you go?"

He stopped with the door open and looked at me. "Yeah, sure, okay." He kind of side smiled, then closed the door and came back over to me. I smiled and got down on my knees while unbuckling his belt, then unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. I slid them down along with his boxers.

I looked at his cock, then up at him and smiled. I had to play with it a little bit to get him hard. "There he is." I said happily once his penis was erect. I giggled and traced his length with the tip of my finger. "Who's ready for some fun?" I licked the tip, then inserted his cock in my mouth. Daryl tensed up. I went back and forth, then licked and repeated. At one point, I used teeth, gently scraping as I pulled back. I figured that would be a fun, new thing.

I continued what I was doing. Lick, back/forth, then occasionally teeth. I heard Daryl making small noises, then he grabbed onto the counter. "If ya don't want my cum in yer mouth, then stop now." He said. That never bothered me so I kept going, actually I went a little faster. Then, I felt the liquid hit the back of my throat and I immediately swallowed. I smiled while looking up at him.

I stood up and went for a kiss but he stopped me. I gave him a surprised look. "Ya just had my dick in yer mouth." He said.

"So, it's _your_ dick?" I didn't get the point.

He seemed to hesitate. "Whatever." He finally said and gave me a chaste kiss. "I'll be back later."

"Yeah, be careful please." I said.

"I will. And you too in case yer gone when I get back."

I gave him a look. "Daryl, we're not gonna be doing anything but staying at one of their houses."

"Well, still." He nodded.

"I'll be fine." I smiled sweetly.

"Good." He said. "Bye, baby." Then headed out the door.

"Bye, love." I said all breathy.

* * *

Nothing really went on the whole day. I took a shower after breakfast, then decided to clean up a little. I even took our clothes to the laundromat. That killed some time.

Way later, I got ready and went out. Daryl was still not back yet. I wasn't worried though. Sometimes we're gone a long time when we go out. I headed to Carrie's house.

"Oh my God." Carrie said when she opened her door. "Look who it is. Long time no see."

"Yeah." Was all I said with a smile. I went inside. Everyone said hey to me and stuff.

"Oh my God, Abby! We haven't seen you in forever!" Bridget said. I was hoping she and Paige wouldn't be here.

"Yeah, sorry about that." I spotted a bottle of wine just then. "Don't mind if I do." I poured myself a glass, then sat down in the living room.

"We thought maybe you were dead or something." Paige said with a smirk, then looked at her nails. _Yeah, I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?_

I sighed. "So, what are we doing tonight?" I wanted to change the subject.

"We're playing— Paige started to say but Brittany cut her off.

"It's just a stupid game." Brittany said and waved. "But now that you're here, we could just talk." She shrugged.

"Stupid game?" Paige asked. She sounded offended. "I brought this game and I like it."

"Well…we were almost done anyway." Brittany said. I heard Paige kind of huff. "So, Abby…what's up? Where have you been?" Brittany asked me.

"Yeah, we haven't seen you in like a month." Bridget said.

"Yeah, well…" I smirked. "I was on my honeymoon." I took a sip of wine with my eyebrows raised, waiting for the questions.

"What?" Dana said.

"Bullshit." Paige looked at me.

I held my hand up and showed them the ring. "I'm a married woman now."

Bridget's mouth gaped open in disbelief. "Whoa." Tess and Carrie also looked shocked.

"Well, that's awesome." Dana said. "Welcome to the club, sista."

"Thanks." I said. Dana, Brittany and me clinked glasses. Out of all of us, Dana and Brittany were the only ones that are married and now me. I think a couple of the other girls have boyfriends but I know for a fact that Paige is single.

"Wait a minute." Paige said. "How come we've never seen this guy around before?"

I was in mid sip when she asked, I swallowed before answering. "Well," I sighed, "As I said before, he's a lot older than me so we were trying to keep our relationship a secret, but then my dad found out and stuff happened so we just said the hell with it and got married." I laughed.

There was a brief pause. "When you say older, how much older?" Carrie asked.

I hesitated. "…like my dad's age." I looked over at Bridget, who's eyes were practically popping out of her head.

"Are you serious?" Dana asked. "That old?"

"I think that's sexy." Tess said.

"Oh, me too!" Bridget said. I think she was just trying to "fit in." Paige, on the other hand, looked pissed.

"Well, congratulations." Carrie said with a big smile.

"Thanks." I smiled back.

"This causes for a celebration." Brittany said. She pulled out a bottle of vodka. "Drink up. Get drunk like last time." She laughed.

"Oh no." I said. "I can't."

They all gave me a weird look. "Why?" Brittany said.

I hesitated. "…well…"

Dana gasped after that. "Oh my God, you're pregnant!"

"No." I said quickly shaking my head. "No, I'm not pregnant." I let out a small laugh. "Although, I did have a pregnancy scare. That's why we came back." I looked at them more seriously. "I'm not though."

"Oh." Dana almost sounded disappointed.

"So, why can't you drink then?" Tess said.

"Because…" I trailed off trying to think of something. "I promised Daryl I wouldn't drink too much." I lied. The real reason why is because…I think I'm an alcoholic.

"Fuck that." Brittany said. "What, is he your dad?" She laughed after that. "I mean…he's old enough to be but…"

I sighed. "It's okay. Really. I'm good." I shook my head. "Besides…I don't like clear liquor anymore anyway."

"Well, I brought some whiskey." Dana suggested.

"No, whiskey makes me sick." I said.

There was a brief pause. "Well, you're no fun." Paige said.

"I don't see you drinking." I cocked an eyebrow at her.

She lifted her glass and finished what was in it. "See." She said, she couldn't hide the disgusted look on her face.

I scoffed. "Whatever. I'm just going to stick to wine for right now."

"Suit yourself." Dana said.

I sighed in relief and took a sip of my wine. _At least I got them off my back…for now._

* * *

We started playing drinking and other question games. I wasn't having fun at all, I realized that I missed Daryl and like didn't care about this stuff anymore. I would so much rather be at home with him cuddling or…something else. I smiled.

"What are you thinking about?" Tess asked me.

I looked up a little embarrassed. "Oh my bad." I said. "I was just…thinking about Daryl."

"Is he good in the sack?" Brittany asked me.

I hesitated for a moment. "…I'm not gonna talk about my relationship to you guys." I shook my head and sipped my wine.

"Why not?" Paige said smartly. "We'd love to hear."

I sighed. "We have fun, yeah." I nodded.

"So…what do you do?" Tess asked. "Are you like a freak in the sheets?"

I let out a small laugh." Shut up, bitch." I finished my wine.

"That wasn't a no!" Tess said. They all laughed.

"Oh, I just thought of a great game!" Bridget said. I rolled my eyes. _Of course you did, bitch._ "We should all come up with some questions and pass them around and vote on them."

"What do you mean?" Dana asked.

"Like you pick someone for each question. For example, if the question is prettiest eyes, then we all write down who we think has the prettiest eyes and whoever has the most for that category wins the title." Bridget said. I noticed Paige perked up a little.

"Sounds dumb." Tess said.

"I'm in." Paige said.

"Let's leave it up to Carrie since it's her house." Dana said.

"Sure, yeah, let's do that." Carrie said. "We're not really doing anything else."

"I'm gonna sit this one out." I said.

"No, come one, Abby, play." Bridget complained.

"I have a good idea." Paige said. "How about we come up with the questions and answer them, and Abby reads them out loud?"

They all looked at me. "Would you do that at least?" Carrie asked me.

"Sure." I shrugged. _I didn't really want to but I didn't want to be a complete party pooper._

So, everybody got a piece of notebook paper and had to write down at least five questions. I watched them all while they were thinking. _Try to be involved._ I told myself. _It's not fun unless everybody is involved._ I nodded and sipped my wine.

Once they got all of their questions done, they passed their papers around until it got back to the original owners.

"Is everyone done?" Brittany asked.

"Looks like it." I said when no one answered.

"I'm so excited!" Bridget said. "Oh, can we start with mine since I thought of it?"

"Yeah, girl." I said. I grabbed her paper. "Alright, so…I'm supposed to read the category and then see who has the most votes for that one, right?" I looked up from the paper. Bridget nodded rapidly. _Someone's excited._ I thought. "Okay, so first, we have prettiest eyes." I said. "And the winner is…Carrie." I looked at her and smiled. I was second on the list.

"Yay!" Bridget said. The other girls clapped in support of their friend. Carrie just smiled and put her head down.

"Next, we have nicest legs. That one goes to…Brittany." I announced. Brittany showed her legs and the other girls laughed. "Third we have cutest and…looks like it's a tie between Bridget and Tess."

"Aw." Everyone said and Bridget giggled.

"See, that's why you should have played, Abby, then we wouldn't have ties." Brittany said.

"Well, I didn't want to, sorry."

"Now, now." Paige said. "It's good Abby didn't play because now we have our good announcer." She looked at me and kind of smiled. I eyed her suspiciously. _Why would she stick up for me? She's up to something._

"Okay." I looked back down at the paper. "Prettiest hair goes to…" My name was on there the most. "Aw, thanks guys." I said and smiled. I flipped my hair to be stupid like them. They all laughed except Paige. "And last on Bridget's list is…best dressed and that goes to Paige."

"Of course." Paige said. I noticed that Brittany rolled her eyes.

"Alright, who's next?" I asked.

"You can do mine." Carrie said.

"Okay." I reached for her paper. I accidentally sighed while looking down at it.

"What's wrong?" Paige said. "Not fun enough for you?"

I looked up at her and stared at her for a minute. _Really, bitch?_ I shrugged. "No, this is fine." I said seriously. I looked back down at the paper and cleared my throat before speaking. I saw that her first question was a repeat. "If the question is the same as one of the previous ones, should I just skip it?"

"Yeah." Carrie answered first.

"Okay, so, we'll skip to number two then. Sweetest smile." I said. "And that goes to…me." I said and looked up smiling. "You guys are so sweet." I got four votes, Dana got two. "So next, we have cutest nose…and that goes to Bridget." I announced. "And last we have nicest lips and that goes to Paige." Paige did her bitch smile again. "Okay, next." I sat the paper aside. "Let's just go down the line." I looked at Brittany who was next. "Brittany?"

"Uh…wait." Brittany said. "I wanna change one of mine actually."

"While you're waiting for hers," Paige said, "you can do mine." She smiled.

I sighed inside. "Yeah, okay." I grabbed her paper. "So, first…we have tannest, which is Carrie." I smiled at her. I root for her out of any of them because she's the nicest, and it seems the quietest. "Then we have biggest boobs…Dana." I looked up at her. The other girls cheered as she did a dance. "Then we have nicest butt…" I trailed off. "I won." I said.

"Girl, you got that nice booty!" Dana yelled. We all laughed…except Paige. I kind of took pride in that and began to perk up a little. I started taking bigger gulps of my wine trying to have more fun. It was working.

"Okay, so next we have prettiest in general…and that goes to Tess." I smiled at her. "Congrats."

"Thanks." Tess grinned from ear to ear. "It's not all me, I got some of it from my sister." She looked at Carrie.

"Aw, how sweet." Dana said, I guess to be corny. The other girls giggled.

I smiled and looked down at the last question on Paige's list. She may be a bitch but her list was definitely the funnest so far. "Okay…oddest couple?" _That's different._ I read that with a weird look on my face but still smiled. However, my smile soon faded once I saw that they all picked me for that one. I looked up at Paige and she was grinning evilly at me. She looked pretty satiated with herself, she knew exactly what she did.

"Well, who won?" Tess asked.

"Uh…" I trailed off still looking at the results.

"It's you, isn't it?" Tess said with a laugh.

"It definitely is!" Bridget said. "That's why she isn't saying anything." They laughed.

I was still looking at the paper but finally snapped out of it. I began shaking my head and opened my mouth to speak. "Is…is this supposed to be some kind of joke?" I said. They all looked at me and slowly became silent. "Seriously? What the hell? Why am I the weirdest couple? What, because Daryl's so much older than me?" I was getting fired up.

"Abby, it's just supposed to be for fun." Brittany said shaking her head.

"Well, I don't think it's funny at all." I said. I may have been making a bigger deal about it than was necessary but that's only because of what I went through with our relationship already. With my dad and hiding it and all that. It was frustrating and none of them have any idea. "I mean…first of all, none of you have even met Daryl before. So…how can say that?" I threw the paper down.

"I've seen that guy before." Paige said with a smirk. "And he's a frickin' hillbilly."

I stared at her, something snapped in me. "How about you don't talk about my husband and you won't get your face punched?" I looked at her dead serious. I swear that whole room got so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Paige looked taken aback, almost like she got scared of me. It felt like forever that someone said something.

"Jeez, can't you take a joke?" Paige finally said and broke the silence.

"Yeah, I can take a joke, but that wasn't a joke." I looked at her. "You did that on purpose, you had it planned because you don't like me for some reason."

"What are you talking about?" Paige tried to play dumb. "I love everyone here."

"Yeah." I said sarcastically.

"Bitch, quit lying." Tess chimed in.

Paige gave her a look. "What? You're gonna start on me too?"

"No one started on you!" I snapped back. "You brought it on yourself."

"Okay." Paige said and stood up. "Alright, I'm leaving then." She started putting her jacket on, then headed towards the door, she stopped. "Is anyone gonna defend me?" No one said anything. "Alright, fine." She began walking out the door. "Bitches." The door slammed shut.

I looked back at everyone. I didn't mean to ruin their fun. I was about to apologize to them, especially Carrie since we were at her house, but to my surprise, Brittany busted out laughing. Followed by Tess and Dana. Then, Bridget started because she has to be like everyone else. I finally smiled and said, "sorry." Then, I shrugged. It had to be done.

"That was great." Tess said.

"At least she's gone." Brittany said.

"For real." Bridget then said still laughing. "That bitch is so fake."

"No, bitch, you're fake." I said only half joking. She looked at me.

"Got that right." Said Brittany.

"What? You guys think I'm fake?" Bridget asked more serious.

"We don't think, we know." Tess said and rolled her eyes.

Bridget huffed. "What?"

"Dude…you talk about everyone behind their back." Brittany gave her a serious look. "You've talked about every single person in this room, including Paige. Don't even try to defend it."

"But…guys…" Bridget sounded sad and maybe a little confused.

"I liked you from the very start." Carrie actually chimed in. We all looked at her. "But when I found out you talked about me, it hurt me really bad. Do you have any idea how that made me feel?" She almost sounded like she could start crying. _What the hell is going on?_

Bridget took a few deep breaths, then put her face in her hands. "I'm sorry guys." She started crying really hard. I kind of felt bad. I mean…I started this whole thing.

"It's okay." Brittany finally said and hugged Bridget. "We still love you, but you gotta do better, okay?"

Bridget nodded and started to calm down. It's not all her either, though, Brittany talks about people too. I decided to keep my mouth shut. "I'm gonna head out, though." Bridget said. She gathered up her stuff and we all said our goodbyes, then she left.

"Gosh, I feel bad." I said once she was gone. "I hope that wasn't because of me. Who's next?"

"Hopefully, no one." Carrie said.

"Well, what do we do now?" Dana said. "I guess we're done with this game?"

"Let's just forget about everything and get drunk." Carrie, to my surprise, said. The other girls agreed. I actually wanted to leave but I was afraid to after what I did. So, I stayed.

"I wish you would get drunk, Abby." Dana said. "You're so fun when you're drunk."

 _So, does that mean I'm not fun when I'm sober?_ "Really?" I gave her a weird look. "I don't even really remember anything."

"That's because you always get drunk!" Tess said.

"I don't _always_ get drunk." I said. They all laughed. _What's so funny?_

"Uh, yeah, ya do." Brittany said with wide-eyes.

I started to feel a little awkward and uncomfortable, almost like I was left out. I looked down at the bottle. "Okay, I'll drink." I said. I picked the bottle up and just started going into it. The other girls cheered.

* * *

It was almost three in the morning when I stumbled home. I closed and locked the door, then tripped and had to grab onto the counter to hold myself up. I laughed loudly at how stupid I probably looked.

Just then, a light came on. "Abby?" Daryl was standing there in the doorway of our bedroom. He looked concerned.

"Oh, hey, Darry Berry." I said sweetly. "Did you get back okay?"

His concern turned to a more angry look. "Yer drunk?" He nodded.

"No." I said. "Well, maybe a little." I slurred and laughed.

"Ya said you weren't gonna be out late." He sounded angry. "And what the…"

I heard him talking but I couldn't pay attention, I was blacking out. "Uh, I need to sleep." I walked over to the couch and collapsed onto it.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of sizzling. I was in the living room, I must have passed out on the couch. I'm surprised Daryl didn't carry me to bed. I sat up and saw him cooking breakfast. I didn't feel sick, but my throat was extremely dry.

I slowly got up and got myself a glass of water. Daryl didn't say anything when I passed him. I quickly drank my water, then sighed. _That's a little better. But…my best medicine is my man._ I smiled at him and put my glass on the table. "Morning." I said. I reached up wrapping my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. I thought it was odd because he didn't turn to me like he usually does. "Daryl?" I said. "Yoohoo. Daryl?" I teased him and kind of laughed.

"That all yer gonna say to me?" He finally turned to me. He sounded angry. I was taken aback.

"What?" I let out a small laugh. "What do you want me to say?"

"How 'bout, sorry?" He looked at me. "Fer comin' in so late when ya said ya wouldn't. Or maybe gettin' drunk off yer ass and passin' out on the couch."

I stared at him. "D-Daryl, what's wrong?" I shook my head. "I didn't mean for it to get so late. I just…"

"You what? Huh? Too busy partyin' like some dumb college bitch?" He looked even more angry than he sounded. "What the hell's wrong with you? It's a good thang ya _weren't_ pregnant. Ya cain't have a baby, all you do is drank."

That cut deep. "I could quit drinking like that." I snapped my fingers. "I would never drink if I was pregnant."

"Why don'tcha then?" He snapped and gave me a scary look. I just stared at him, I had no idea what to say. "Ya know," he turned back to me, "I thought you were smarter than this, I thought you were different. That's one of the reasons why I always liked you, but maybe I wasted my time. Maybe yer too immature fer me. Maybe _we_ wasted our time and you'd rather be with some younger guy who likes to party and mess around."

"No." I said immediately. "No no no." I stood in front of Daryl shaking my head rapidly. "I don't want anyone besides you ever. I love you, Daryl. You're the only man for me." I was close to tears.

Daryl stared at me for a moment. "Listen, I never looked at you and saw a kid before." He spoke softer but I could tell he was still mad. "But after last night," he snorted, "well, I already said it, ya acted like a dumb college bitch." He nodded. " _You_ need to stop drankin'. Ya gotta problem."

I tried to hide behind humor like I always do. I let out a small laugh. "Okay, maybe that's what it seems like to you and everyone else but…" I trailed off and stopped once I looked at how serious Daryl was looking at me. It honestly scared me. It made me think about myself too. I didn't have to lie to Daryl, he's my husband after all. I decided it was time to drop the act and just say it. "Okay." I nodded. "You're right. I have a problem. I can't be around alcohol."

"Yeah, I'll say." Daryl said. Now he was just being mean. "And I waited fer you last night. I was worried." He snapped. "You said you wouldn't be out late but ya did. Do I do that to you? Huh?" He shouted.

"Daryl." I was shaking my head. "I know and I'm—" I stopped when I saw his face again. He was looking at me so angrily that it scared me. "I'm sorry." I breathed. "It won't happen again." I looked up at him sadly.

We stared at each other for a minute, he looking angry and me sad, then Daryl finally turned away and went back to making breakfast. I took my escape and went into the bathroom to have a shower.

I held it together the whole time I turned the shower on and then waited for it to get hot enough. Even a little once I was in. I tried not to think, not to let it get to me. I blinked a few times, then slowly leaned my head on the wall in the bathroom. I stayed like that for a while. I hated myself right then, I didn't even want to drink last night but I gave in to my stupid "friends." I do have a problem though, and I need to knock it off before Daryl gets tired of my shit and leaves me. _He deserves better._ I thought sadly. The thought of Daryl with someone else made me sick to my stomach. I slowly dropped down to the floor and just sat there with my head down, letting the water cascade over me.

* * *

I stayed in the shower for a long time and in the bathroom afterwards for even longer. I guess I wanted to avoid Daryl. After that, I went into our bedroom to get dressed and then I laid on the bed in there for a long time. Daryl never came in, he stayed out in the living room. I was thankful because I wanted to be alone.

I stayed in there for a long time, hours, and it gave me time to think. I was sad, very sad, but I had to pull myself up and continue with things. So, I walked out of our bedroom and into the kitchen. Daryl and I made eye contact, for a moment neither of us saying anything.

I turned away and stood in front of the stove looking around in the cabinets to see what there was to eat. "What do you want for dinner?" I said. "We have soup, ramen noodles, ravioli." I stopped and became a little nervous because he wasn't answering me. "I could make spaghetti? Oh, and I think there's still some left over stew in the fridge."

"Yeah, just heat the stew." Daryl finally said. I silently exhaled in relief that he answered me.

I got the pot of stew out and sat it on the stove to heat. Once that was taken care of, I leaned forward a little with my hands on the counter and took a deep breath. I wasn't feeling too great. I don't know what's wrong.

I finally turned around to face Daryl. I felt dead inside and probably looked it too, so I looked at the floor. "I know I fucked up but…I hope you're still not mad at me."

Daryl didn't answer right away, just kind of stood there. He sighed and cleared his throat. "I'm more mad at myself." He finally said. I looked up at him then. "You know why?" He came closer and wrapped his arms around me. I shook my head. "It was because of how you looked at me." He finally said. "You looked scared. Of me." Daryl looked at me in the eyes. "I don't ever want to see that again. And I'm not sorry fer the thangs I said, but I am fer the way I said them…and acted. I'm yer husband, not yer dad." We just looked at each other. "You were right when ya said I got pent up anger." He nodded. "I do."

We were both quiet for a minute. "Well," I finally said, "looks like we got some stuff to work on. Both of us."

We stared at each other again. "Yeah." Daryl finally said and nodded. "We do."

I finally smiled. "We're perfect for each other."

"…yeah, we are." He leaned in and kissed me.


	33. Secrets

"You gotta start taking better care of yourself, Abigail." My dad said to me. We were out on a run and I just told him about my drinking and what happened with Daryl and my friends. I was about to say I know, but my dad continued and he said something that confused me for a moment. "You're all I got left now." He said. _What about Judith?_ I gave him a weird look. My dad looked like he had a thought and corrected himself. "All I have left of the world before this."

 _Oh okay._ I thought. _Still Judith kind of is, even though she was born after the turn._ I didn't say anything though. "I know, dad. That's why I'm telling you." I said. "I'm finally admitting to my problem." I looked down at my hands and thought for a minute. "It's like what you told me the other day. When you said I have to find what's important." We both looked at each other. "I want to have kids. _We_ do." I nodded. "And give you grandkids." I smiled. I became more serious again. "And I can't be drinking like that when I'm pregnant or even after that really. At least not like I do." I let out a nervous laugh.

"Abby, sweetheart." My dad said. "I hate to tell you this but if you're an alcoholic, then you can't ever drink." We looked at each other again. "You said it yourself, you can't control yourself around alcohol. That means you have to stop drinking. Period." I looked away from him and we were quiet for a minute. "Thank you can do that?"

"Yeah, I can." I said and nodded without much thought. "I'm sure it will be difficult at times but…" I trailed off.

My dad looked at me and nodded. "You can. You can do it. You've done harder things. Way harder things. And don't ever doubt that."

I looked down. _He's right. I have done harder things._ "I can do it." I said while still looking down. I finally looked back over at my dad, our eyes met.

"Good." He said. He put his hand on the back of my neck. "And I'll be proud to watch you become sober. I'm proud of you now." He gave me a small smile.

I blushed. "Dad…shut up." I teased him. We both laughed.

* * *

It was quiet for a while. "Think we should leave the car here." My dad said. "We can walk for now."

"Alright." I nodded.

My dad parked the car and we hopped out. We began walking through a small neighborhood. There were plenty of houses for us to check, but there was no way in hell we were going to check them all. So, we just randomly selected some.

We had a little method we were going by. If there was a house that only had one floor, we just split up and checked the rooms together. If there was a house that had a basement, then I checked the basement and my dad stayed upstairs and checked there. If there was a house that had an upper level, then my dad checked up there and I stayed down. Or if there was a house that had a basement and an upstairs, then we checked the main level together, then I checked the basement and my dad checked upstairs.

So we picked a house, it had two levels. My dad checked upstairs and I stayed on the main level and checked around down here. I ending up finding some tools and utensils in the kitchen. However, I was distracted by the horrible condition of the house. I know what to expect these days but I get the feeling that this place didn't look much better before. This neighborhood was very rundown looking. I heard my dad's footsteps and turned around. "It's clear." He said.

I nodded. "Yeah, here too." I cleared my throat. "Find anything cool?"

"Not really. Some flashlights." He said with a little laugh.

"Well, better than nothing." I said. "I found some tools." I shrugged.

"Good." My dad nodded. There was a brief pause. "Come on, maybe we'll have better luck in the next one."

We left that house and skipped the next one and went to the other. This house was smaller than the last one. It didn't have an upstairs or a basement. We split the rooms and made sure the house was clear before looking for supplies. "I think we're good." My dad said.

"Yeah." I started looking around in the kitchen and dining room. I left my dad the living room and bathroom. I wasn't having much luck.

"Hey." I heard my dad call. I turned to him, he was holding a doll. "You thank Judith would want this?"

I let out a small laugh. "I don't know." I shrugged. "Maybe if you find a toy that's for bigger kids."

My dad sighed and put down the doll. "Yeah, you're right. She's trying to be a big kid." He raised his eyebrows.

"I know all about it." I said looking around at some books on a bookshelf. "She's trying to be a big kid but she's still a little kid."

"Yeah and…she's gonna stay a little kid for as long as I can help it."

I looked at my dad and smiled even though he wasn't looking at me. He went through the same thing with Carl. When I was a little kid, things were different, of course, because we weren't in the walker apocalypse. However, I sort of had to grow up before I was ready because I had a younger sibling and had to look after them. Anyone who is an older sibling will agree with that.

I found a book just then that I remembered reading years ago. "Here." I tossed it at my dad. "Give her that. She'll like it." We smiled at each other, my dad put the book in his bag. Then, we were quiet for a minute. There was something I wanted to tell my dad about Judith and now felt like the right time. "So, speaking of Judith…" I turned back to my dad, he gave me a curious look. I was about to say something but we heard a walker growl. We immediately had our guns up and walked into the living room.

It was just one and it was at the window. My shoulders slumped. "Come on, let's get outta here." My dad said.

"Sure. I got him." I said. I put my gun back in its holster and took out my knife. I stabbed the walker in the head once we got outside.

* * *

My dad and I walked around and checked certain houses in this neighborhood for a long time. It was beginning to get dark so my dad called it and said we better pick a house to stay the night. I agreed and began walking down the street a little more. "Let's go down here."

My dad stayed where he was. "What's wrong with all these houses?" He asked me.

"I don't know. That's not what I had in mind." I said. I stopped dead in my tracks at the end of the street and stared at a house on the corner.

He scoffed. "Well, what'd you have in mind?" He caught up with me. "Abby?" He looked at the house I was looking at.

I looked at him and a smile slowly formed on my face. "This is perfect." I said.

"Why?" He gave me a weird look.

"Look at it." I walked a little closer. "It looks just like one of those classic haunted houses!" I was excited.

"Abigail."

"What?" I turned back around to look at him. "Are you scared?" I teased.

"Maybe." My dad said. "I don't want to wake up with a ghost starin' at me."

I laughed. "Come on, dad. It will be fun. I always wanted to do something like this. Don't you want to have fun?"

"Not exactly my idea of fun." My dad said with his eyebrows raised.

"Come on, I really want to." I begged. "Please, daddy." I tried to give him "the look." It's been a while since I had to use that.

He scoffed. "That isn't gonna work on me anymore. You're too old for that now." He smirked at me. I gave him a look and smiled sweetly. My dad sighed. "Yeah, right. Come on." He put his hand on my back and guided me towards the house. I smiled to myself. _This is gonna be fun._

This was a pretty big house, it had an upstairs and a basement so we checked the main level together. "Alright, it's clear." My dad said. "I'm gonna check upstairs now. DON'T go downstairs until I come back down." He ordered.

"Okay." I shrugged. My dad went upstairs. I don't why, but I just got a creepy vibe from it, especially by the basement door. I shivered and went back into the living room. My dad left the door cracked open so I went back outside. I don't know why? Something just told me to. Almost like it was calling my name.

I stood on the porch and looked out at the side yard, it was fenced in and pretty big. It was just weird how it was made up though. It had like all these levels, I assumed it was for gardening. Then, I looked down and saw something strange. There were stairs leading down to the yard and there was like writing on one of them. I walked down there to see what it was.

When I got there and looked, I saw that it was a name. _Richard._ It said. Someone must have wrote that when the cement was still wet. I got a weird feeling from it. Almost as if I knew who this person was. I traced it with my finger. _Richard._

It took my dad a long time to check upstairs, apparently there were three bedrooms. I waited in the dining room right where he left me. "It's clear." He said.

"It's about time." I teased.

"Yeah, but I found some cool stuff up there."

"Good." I said. "So…can I check the basement now?"

My dad looked reluctant. "Maybe we should check it together."

My shoulders slumped, and I gave him an annoyed look. "You don't trust me." It was more of a statement than I question.

"No, that is not it. It's just…dangerous."

I rolled my eyes. _Yeah, no shit. It always is._ I know how to handle myself and he knows that I know how to handle myself. So, why was he acting like this? Maybe he's the scared one? I laughed inside at that thought. "Dad, if someone was down there, I'm pretty sure they heard us and would have come up by now." He was still reluctant. I sighed. "I mean…if you'd feel safer with both us then…"

"No, it's okay." My dad finally gave in. "Go ahead. Just be careful and yell if you find trouble, I'll hear you."

"Okay." I nodded. I opened the basement door and shined my flashlight down there. It sure was dark. I almost chickened out and asked my dad to come with me anyway. However, after that big show I just put on…no. I quickly got over myself and slowly started making my way down the stairs with my gun up.

I reached the bottom and brandished my gun around as I looked. So far, there was nothing. I sighed. I turned the corner a little and saw a table with some stuff on it. I guessed it was like a workshop or something. Everything was real dirty and dusty so I tried to not to touch it.

I shined the flashlight up and saw a door that was chained shut. It gave me a weird feeling. _I'm gonna go ahead and assume there's nothing in there for us._ I walked away from the door. I could see the tiniest bit of light down a little farther. So I began walking towards it.

There was a room that was sort of shaped like a circle. However, the first thing that caught my eye was down on the floor. There were little glass candles arranged in a circle on the floor. Still lit! I got an unsettling feeling but ignored it for now because there was no sign of people anywhere. There was something on the floor that looked like a small radio. I picked it up and examined it. It said _Spirit Box + Recorder_ on it. _No way._ I thought. I shoved it in my pocket.

I looked around more. A door to the backyard was there and ajar. I opened it and looked out, then closed it tightly. _This is weird._ I thought while looking back down at the candles. Then, I saw something even weirder.

There were writings all over the wall. Like weird symbols and stuff. _What is this place?_ I swallowed hard. There was a big piece of paper taped to the wall almost like it was covering something. I started taking it off, then that's when I saw what it was. It was a pentagram! It looked like it was painted in blood. _Did people do rituals here?_ I felt a chilling feeling and kind of freaked out. I ran out of that room and back up the stairs.

"Dad!" I yelled once I was almost to the top. "Dad." I ran into the dining room.

"What? What?" He was there immediately and looked alarmed.

"There's…stuff and…" I was stumbling over my words trying to tell my dad. I guess I was just "a little" excited about what I found.

"What? Abby, calm down. Use your words." My dad told me.

I almost got annoyed but I just ignored him making fun of me. I stopped and took a deep breath. "There's candles down there formed in a circle, still lit and everything!" I finally got out. "And there's like weird writings and symbols and…I saw a pentagram!" I was extremely excited but my dad didn't seem impressed at all. "I think people used to have like…satanic rituals here!" My dad was just standing there giving me a look. "What?" I said.

"I don't find that cool and I knew we shouldn't have come here." He finally said.

"Oh, come on, dad." I said a little annoyed. "I find that creepy as hell." I smirked. "And look what I found." I pulled out the little spirit box I found.

"What's that?" My dad said stupidly.

"It's an EVP device." I said. "You can use it to talk to ghosts." I smiled.

My dad sighed and put his head down. "Oh, Abigail."

"What?" I snapped. I was getting annoyed at his skepticism.

"We're not here to hunt ghosts." He kind of mocked me. "We're here to find useful things so we can survive."

I gave him a dirty look. He kind of hurt my feelings, it was almost as if he was chastising me. "Shut up." I said. "I know what we're here for. Don't talk to me like I'm a little kid. I'm not Judith."

My dad looked like he regretted what he said. "I know you're not. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. It's just…" He trailed off.

"We should see if this thing works." I sat it on the table.

"Abby…"

"Look, it's just for fun." I cut him off and turned to him. "We never do anything like this. And I always wanted to. Don't you wanna have some fun for once?"

"Like I said before, not really my idea of fun." He raised his eyebrows. "And…won't you be scared if something actually happened?"

I smiled at him. "No, but you probably will." I crossed my arms. "Dad, me and you never did anything like this. I _really_ want to." I practically begged. "If other people tried it, then there's a good chance that something _will_ happen. Come on, let's talk to some ghosts." I smiled.

My dad gave me an almost annoyed look. "Alright." He nodded. "But if you get possessed by a demon, I'm leaving you here." He teased.

"Hey, you might be the one to get possessed." I put my hands up. "But…I won't leave you. I could probably perform an exorcism, I've seen enough movies." I bragged. My dad scoffed, then we both laughed.

"So, are we doing this?" He asked me.

I thought for a minute. "No, let's wait til it gets a little darker. It's too light out right now. We should have the perfect setting too."

"Great." My dad said. "So, we can be more scared."

I smiled. "Got that right."

* * *

A little later, my dad and I were eating some ready-to-eat meals that we found. I had mac 'n' cheese and I'm not sure what my dad had. Whatever it was, it smelled kind of funky. "What even is that?" I asked him.

He looked at me before answering. "It's chili."

I scrunched my nose up. "That's foul."

"What's wrong with chili?" My dad said with a laugh.

"Uh, I like chili but that smells deadly." I said. He laughed and took a bite. "What's it like?"

"It's good." He said with his mouth full. "Want some?"

"No, no." I raised my eyebrows. "I'll just take your word for it."

He laughed, then things got quiet for a few minutes. "Oh yeah." My dad said breaking the silence. "I just remembered that when we were in that one house, you said there was something you wanted to talk to me about?" He looked at me. I gave him a weird look. "About Judith?" He said again.

My eyes widened a little. _Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that when the walker interrupted me!_ He was looking at me waiting for an answer. "Um…" I made a weird face as I took another bite of my food. This was not the right time to talk about this. "It's nothing." I shook my head. I needed to think of something fast to change the subject before he starts asking questions. I thought about our conversation from earlier. "Dad, are you a skeptic?" I said randomly.

He gave me a weird look. "What do you mean?"

"Like…do you not believe in ghosts?" I really wanted to know his answer.

He seemed to hesitate. "Why do you ask?"

I shrugged. "We never talked about that kind of stuff before. I just never knew." I hope he doesn't blow off the question. I want to know what he thinks about paranormal stuff.

"Well…mostly, yeah. I would say so." He nodded.

"Oh." I was a little disappointed, not going to lie. Then, I thought more about what he said. "Wait, what do you mean _mostly_?"

My dad looked at me, then away and seemed to hesitate. He was rubbing his bottom lip with his spoon. I was wondering why he was acting strangely like this. We were both quiet for about a minute or two.

"Alright." My dad finally said, he finished his food and pushed it aside. "I'll tell you a story." He tapped my shoulder. My eyes widened. _Is my dad about to tell me a ghost story?_ I could hardly contain my excitement. Also, no one ever tells stories. I'm always the one who tells the stories. "Your mom thought her house that she grew up in was haunted." My dad started.

"Really?" I said. "Like grandma and grandpa's house?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I never believed in that kind of stuff. My parents didn't, so I didn't. But…that house _did_ give me a creepy feeling." My dad was looking around the room. That house gave me the creeps too. "Anyway…" He sighed. "When we were just dating, I went over there to pick your mom up for a date." He smiled at me. "But I wanted to use the bathroom before we left, and I always used to the one in the basement because the upstairs just…creeped me out."

"Right." I said. I took another bite of my food.

"So, I went upstairs…and I immediately got this scary feeling." He smiled. "Well…I saw something."

I stopped eating and looked up at him. "What? You saw something?" My eyes were wide. "Oh my God, dad. What was it?"

He paused for a moment. "It looked like a dress." He said. Like the back of a dress, you know like the train of a gown? It went into one of the back bedrooms." He said. I'm sure if my eyes were any wider they would have popped out of my head. I was practically on the edge of my seat listening to him. "What happened next?"

He let out a small laugh. "I got so scared, I jumped the damn stairs."

My mouth gaped open. "What?" I laughed pretty hard at that. He joined in with my laughter. "Did this honestly happen or are you joking right now?"

"No." My dad said wide-eyed. "This is a true story. I wouldn't make that up. And I didn't even get to the best part yet."

"Oh God." I said.

"I told your mom about it later, and she said she saw the same thing a few years before." My dad informed me.

My eyes were wide again. "Oh my God! Are you serious?" My dad nodded, he was laughing at me. "Wait, why wasn't I ever told this? I'm actually mad right now, like really mad. You guys suck." I crossed my arms.

"We didn't want you guys to be scared." My dad said seriously.

"I wouldn't have been." I said. "You knew what kind of kid I was. Carl maybe, but not me." I paused. "See, now you saw that and you still don't believe?"

"Yeah, I assumed I imagined it." He nodded.

"Dad." I gave him a stupid look.

"Hey, you have your beliefs and I have mine." He said ending our conversation.

I sighed. I realized, just then, how dark it got. It's time to have our little seance. "Well…maybe tonight will make a believer out of you." I smirked. "Let's do our experiment with the EVP now."

* * *

We began setting up, well there really wasn't much we had to do to set up. I looked at the EVP in the candlelight. "So, do you wanna to this in the dining room so that we're sitting at a table or do you just want to stay in here?" I asked my dad.

"I don't know, Abigail." He replied. "I don't even really want to do this." My dad sat in the chair. I was on the floor.

"I know you don't but too bad." I said and laughed. "Let's just stay in here since we already have candles in here." I looked back at the spirit box. "I actually have no idea what to do with this. How do I do this?" I asked myself out loud. My dad kind of snorted. "There's not directions." I flipped it around. I sighed. "Oh well, I'll figure it out." I turned it on. "I've seen people use these are those dumb ghost shows." I laughed. There was static on the EVP. My shoulders slumped. "Aw man." I said. "This is gonna be so annoying. All we're going to hear is the static the whole time."

"Welp." My dad said. "You tried."

I gave him an annoyed look, he was smirking at me. "Can you stop?" I said. "We're doing this." I sighed and sat it back down, then turned the volume up. "Okay." I took my hand away from it. "What now?" I looked at my dad. "Do you wanna go first?"

"No, you do it." He said. "This is your thing."

"Okay." I smiled. _What should I say?_ "Umm…hi." I said. My dad laughed at me. "Shut up!" I threw a pillow at him. "Sorry about that, um…so, hi. My name's Abby and this is my dad, Rick. We were wondering if there were any spirits in this house and if we could talk for a minute." I paused for a few seconds. All we heard was static. " _Any_ body here?" I said, then waited.

"See, it doesn't work." My dad said. "Just stop and turn it off." Right before my dad finished talking, the static stopped for a split second and it made a noise. It sounded like "boop" in a robot-like voice.

"Did you hear that?" I looked at my dad.

"Yeah, Abby, that was nothing. We used walkies at work and sometimes noises came through."

"Wait, be quiet." I waved him off. "Was that a spirit?" I asked. The static stopped for a second but it didn't make a noise or anything. "Are we speaking with someone right now?" I said more aggressively.

"You are." The robot voice came through on the EVP again, then went back to static.

My eyes widened, and I looked at my dad. My mouth gaped open. "You heard that, too, don't even try to pretend right now." I grinned.

My dad hesitated, almost like he was thinking. "Yeah, I heard it. Doesn't mean it was a ghost."

I ignored him and went back to the box. "Okay, so, you let us know that someone's here. Can you tell us your name?" I waited for "it" to reply. It was just static. "Come on, don't go away already. Tell us your name." There was nothing but static. I was losing hope.

"See, it was nothing." My dad said. I looked at him.

"Nothing." The robot voice said. I looked back down at the box.

"Was that you just now?" I said a little annoyed. Nothing happened. "Tell me or I'm shutting this off."

"Off." The robot voice said.

I looked at my dad and smiled. I was getting a little irritated. "Didn't you say that's a recorder too?" My dad asked me. I nodded. "Well, that's all it's doing is recording our voices."

"Dad, shut up. No, it isn't. That's not even how it works." He was starting to annoy me too.

"You better quit telling me to shut up." He said. I got the feeling that he was only half joking. I decided to mess with him.

"Oh yeah, and what are you gonna do?" I teased him and laughed.

"Spaghetti." The robot voice said. I looked down at the box.

"Spaghetti?" I said stupidly. My dad laughed pretty hard after that.

"Maybe it's Hershel." I said.

"Abby." My dad gave me a stupid look.

"What? He said he wanted to have spaghetti Tuesdays every Wednesday." I shrugged. "It could be him."

"Dancer." The robot voice said. I looked at the box, then back to my dad.

I saw the look my dad was giving me. I started to laugh and he did as well. I kind of got a different out look on the whole situation. I mean…most of those ghost shows that used to be on TV were mostly, if not all, fake. "Alright, fine." I said. "You're right. It's bullshit. I'm gonna shut it off." I reached for it but the robot voice spoke again.

"Off." It said.

I stopped and just looked at it. I had a thought. _Maybe I'll try one last time._ "Alright." I said and cleared my throat. "This is your last chance. If you want to talk, then talk." I paused. "Can you tell me your name?" I said sternly like I did before.

"No." The robot voice said.

I glanced at my dad quickly, his eyebrows were raised, then I looked back at the box. "Why can't you tell me your name?" There was nothing but static. "What is your name?" I said more forcefully. I waited for a minute and listened to the static.

"Richard." The robot voice said.

It felt like I was punched in the stomach right then and my eyes were wide. "What? Richard? Like the carving on the stairs Richard?"

"Yes." It said.

I looked at my dad with wide-eyes and my mouth hanging open but still smiling. I kind of screamed. "You heard that!" I pointed at him. "That was legit! That was a legit, clear plain as day answer!" I was super excited.

"Alright, yeah. Turn it off." My dad said.

"Why? Cuz you're scared?"

"Yeah, I am." He admitted. I laughed. "Now turn it off. You got what you wanted from it, now turn it off."

I slowly stopped laughing. "Okay, I'll shut it off." I reached for the EVP. "Bye, Richard. Thanks for talking to us." I waited but all I heard was static. "Aw, I was hoping he would say bye." I smiled and sighed. "Oh well." I turned the device off, now it was completely quiet. "That was fun." I smiled at my dad. "And funny." I laughed.

"Maybe for you." My dad said with raised eyebrows.

"You laughed too! You laughed when he said spaghetti."

"Yeah, but…that was before it said my name."

I stopped for a second. "Oh yeah, your name is Richard." I said and smiled. "I wasn't even thinking that. Earlier today, I saw the name Richard carved on the stairs outside. That's why I got so excited."

"Oh, I didn't see." My dad said. "I was only thinking about my name. But your story makes more sense." He kind of laughed.

"Yeah." I said with a sigh. There was a brief pause. "So, did that make a believer out of you?" I looked at him and smirked.

He shrugged. My eyes widened a little and my mouth gaped opened. "Not really." He said.

"Oh my God, dad. Are you serious right now?" I gave him an annoyed look. "That wasn't enough proof for you?"

"No, Abby, it wasn't." My dad said a little louder. "There's no way for us to tell what that really was. It was creepy, I'll admit that, but that doesn't mean it was a ghost."

I huffed and shook my head with a smirk. "You suck." Right after I said that, it sounded like something fell upstairs. I immediately became serious…and a little scared. I looked at my dad. "Daddy?" He was looking back at me. I watched his face harden as he grabbed his gun, then jumped up and headed for the stairs. I looked down at the spirit box and had a thought. "Wait." I said to my dad. "I wanna come with you." I jumped up with my gun and followed my dad up the stairs.

It was really dark so we had to use our flashlights. My dad was ahead of me. "Dad, wait." I caught up with him and was practically on his back.

"Abby, back up." He said. I giggled.

We checked all of the rooms, the one that would be right above us where we were downstairs is the one we checked last. There was a statue on the floor. "That's what it must have been." My dad said. "Must have fallen."

"Yeah, but how?" I looked at him. I mean…the thing looked pretty heavy, it couldn't have just fallen on its own.

"I don't know." He said while checking around some more. He looked in the closet and stuff, there was no one there. "Let's go back downstairs." He guided me out of the room.

* * *

My dad and I decided to go to bed after that. He had the couch and I had the little love seat. I'm short so I can fit. I felt like I was sinking down into the furniture, I don't like that. I thought about putting the cushions on the floor and sleeping there for the night, but I decided not to. It was already pretty late anyway. I sighed trying to get comfortable. Eventually, I dozed off.

I was awakened by loud noises that sounded like voices. I sat up quickly, my whole body shaking. It was the EVP device. It was going crazy! _But how? I turned that shit off!_

I grabbed my flashlight while breathing heavily and shined it at my dad, he was looking back at me but squinted from the light.

"Secrets!" The robot voice yelled. "Secrets! Secrets! Sister! Truth! Lies! Fear! Cheating! Sister! Secrets! Secrets!" It was yelling and it scared the shit out of me.

My dad and I shared a look. We grabbed our stuff and got the hell out of there. We can pick a different house to stay the night.

However, I couldn't stop thinking about what the EVP device was saying. It was just a coincidence, right? I mean…there was no way it could know. Could it? It doesn't know me or my family. I swallowed hard trying to convince myself. What I did know was that…I was really freaked out.


	34. Prisoner! Prisoner!

"I can't wait to tell everyone about what happened at that house back there." I said to my dad. It was the next day and we decided to check out some more places before going home. "That was probably one of the freakiest experiences of my life." I thought about it and huffed with a laugh, then took a sip of my water.

"Yeah, that was pretty crazy." My dad said. "I knew that house was bad news as soon as I looked at it. I shouldn't have let us go in."

I smiled. _Does that mean he believes in the paranormal now?_ He looked pretty scared to me. That was pretty funny. We got chased out by a ghost. Not by people or walkers, a ghost. "So, does that mean you're a believer _now_?" I smirked at him.

My dad shrugged. "I'm a little more open minded about it but…" He trailed off. My eyes widened. "Still no." He kind of smirked.

I shook my head at him. "I don't understand you." _How could he still not believe after all that?_ I pushed the items down in my bag as far as they could go. "Skeptic." I rolled my eyes and gave him a look.

"Yup." My dad let out a small laugh, then stood up. "Alright, that was a good enough break." I watched him screw the cap back on his water bottle and put it away. "Let's go." He put his hand on my back for a second.

We walked around for a while, there were still a lot of houses in this neighborhood to check but, like I said before, we can't check them all. We still went by our method when we checked them out. My dad and I took turns picking the house we wanted to search.

There was a really big one up ahead. "Oh, we should check that one." I pointed. "I bet we'll find something interesting in there. I mean…not like that other house." I gave my dad a look, he raised his eyebrows and I laughed. In a house we checked earlier, there was a room that had a bunch of sex toys and stuff in it. I threw a certain item at my dad and he screamed and backed up from it. It was so funny. "Something useful."

"Yeah, we can check in there." My dad said. "We should think about heading back soon. While we still have daylight."

"Oh yeah, definitely." I agreed. I looked at the house, it was big. I don't know why but something about the window on the top floor was interesting to me. I stared at it and got a weird feeling. I should always listen to those feelings, but I don't.

My dad and I burst through the front door of the house with our guns up. There was nothing in plain sight. We walked around, I went through the living room and my dad went through the dining room, then we met back up and checked the kitchen. We nodded at each other. It's clear so far.

My dad glanced out the window in the kitchen out at the backyard. "I'm gonna check upstairs." He said. He looked at me before heading out of the kitchen.

"Wait." I stopped him. "I'll check upstairs this time and you check the basement." I nodded. He gave me a weird look. I hesitated. "Uh…there's really no reason why, I just want to." I shrugged. "Switch things up a little."

My dad nodded. "Okay." He said. "I'll wait for you then."

I nodded and headed for the stairs. For some reason, when I reached them, I just stared up them. I got another weird feeling. _What's wrong with me?_ I thought. There's nothing even scary about this house, it was nice enough. I didn't get a creepy vibe at all from it. So, why was I being so cautious? _Oh well._ I shrugged it off. I climbed the stairs trying to be as quiet as possible.

I stopped and looked when I got to the top of the stairs. Again, I didn't see anything. To the left of me was a bedroom, I assumed. The door was closed so I figured I'd check that last. I looked to the right of me and saw a window. I looked out of it. That must be the window I was looking up at. This is a pretty nice house. I wished I lived here.

I saw two rooms to the right of me, one was a bathroom and it looked small, so I just checked in there quickly. The next room was a nursery. I walked inside and smiled. It felt nice in here. Safe.

I absentmindedly started looking around at everything. We should definitely take some of this stuff back with us. The crib too. That could be useful. Maybe even for us. I smiled.

My thoughts were interrupted by a thud. I immediately snapped out of it and went to check it out. The only place up here that I didn't check yet was that room. I stood in front of it and grabbed the doorknob. I turned it slowly to be quiet and then I threw it open. A walker was there and grabbed me immediately! I didn't get a chance to lift my gun, the thing had both of my arms. "Oh shit!" I yelled.

It was taller than me and pretty strong. The thing pushed me and we both went backwards, my back going into the window and breaking the glass. I hit the back of my head on the top, then my eyes went wide as I was falling out the window. The only thing that was holding me up was the walker, but I had to be careful that it wasn't biting me. I was in a very bad position right now. My heart was pounding out of my chest. "DADDY, HELP ME!" I screamed to wake the dead. No pun intended. "Dad!" I was breathing heavily and slipping more and more. "Oh my God!"

Finally my dad was there. He was about to kill the walker. "No!" I yelled. "If you kill it, it'll go limp, then I'll fall!" I said. My dad looked lost, and I could tell he was panicking inside. He looked like he was thinking, then I watched his face harden. He grabbed my arm, then something bad happened. The walker noticed my dad and went for him. My dad accidentally let me go so he could kill the walker and I fell the rest of the way. I screamed the whole time, and hit the ground hard. "Ah!" I yelled. I lay there in pain and couldn't breath.

"ABBY!" My dad yelled looking down at me. I watched him disappear. I laid there on the ground trying to breath. I got the wind knocked out of me. Then, my dad was there. "Abby!" He crouched down next to me and lifted me a little. "Are you okay?" He was breathing heavily. I tried to answer him, but I couldn't so I just nodded. "Did you just get the wind knocked out of you?" He asked again. I nodded. He sighed loudly, then helped me sit up. "Can you walk?"

I could finally breathe correctly. "I think so." I said weakly. I put my hand on my side and grimaced. "Aw, jeez." I said looking up at the window. I really didn't need this to happen.

"Come on." My dad said. "Let's get you inside." He helped me up. My back, legs and side hurt a lot but I tried not to show it. However, my dad had to have noticed. "Do you need me to carry you?" I just shook my head. He helped me inside the rest of the way.

* * *

I was laying on the couch and my dad was sitting at the end with me. I really was in some pain. "We're gonna have to stay the night here." My dad said. "So you can rest up a little." He gently patted my leg, then rubbed a little.

"Sure." Was all I said. I put my head back and felt a sudden pain in my neck. I cringed and touched it. "Ow."

My dad looked at me after that, he didn't say anything right away. "Are you even gonna be able to travel tomorrow morning?"

I breathed out, it sounded like when you're sick and your lungs are filled with mucus. "I don't know." I said weakly. "Tomorrow is a whole other day. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

My dad smirked at me. "Even when you're injured you're still a smartass." He let out a small laugh.

"Yeah." I said. I tried to smile but I was in too much pain. "You know what this reminds me of?" I coughed.

"What's that?" He said.

I took a breath before answering. "Remember when we first got here, to Pine Lane, and we took that little "vacation" to Lake Erie? When I was all hurt after being captured."

My dad's face seemed to harden after that. No trace of happiness was ever evident. "Yeah, I remember that." He nodded. "How I lost you and thought you were gone forever." He looked pained and I almost regretted bringing this up. "One of the worst days of my life."

"Yeah." I looked down. I actually haven't thought about that for a long time. For a while, that memory haunted me, just like what happened with Carl. I almost shivered.

"Hey, why don't you get some rest?" My dad said giving me a small smile. "It's the best thing for you right now. You look tired anyway." He nodded.

I thought about what he said. It would probably be smart, that way maybe I will be healed enough to travel tomorrow. "Okay." I nodded. "Yeah, sure."

My dad gave me a small smile, then got up. "I'm gonna see if I can find anything for us to eat." He leaned over and kissed my head. "Get some sleep."

"I'll try." I weakly rolled over on my side, facing the couch, and got more comfortable. I sighed briefly. Now that I brought that up, I couldn't stop thinking about it. It was almost four years ago already:

 _It was when our group first found the community that we live at now. We all just settled in but I was afraid that if we stayed there that we would all become distant and never see each other._ That kind of happened anyway, but I don't want to get into all that again. I mean…at least I have Daryl, my dad, Michonne and Judith.

 _Anyway, I talked everyone into going on a sort of vacation. Lake Erie wasn't far from where the camp was. So, we all went there to spend the day. I can picture it now. The warm sun on my skin, the wind blowing through my hair and the sound of the waves hitting the shore. It had been a longtime since I went swimming._

 _It was a perfect day. We were all sitting on the shore, some of us in the water. "Turned out to be a really nice day." Michonne said. I smiled._

 _"_ _Sure did." My dad said. Then he got a little sad. "I wish your brother was here to see this." He looked at me._

 _I gave him a sad smile and rubbed his arm. "Carl is here dad. As long as we're here. He's still here." We both smiled at each other._

 _"_ _You're right, baby. I'm sorry."_

 _"_ _Of course, I'm right." I said. "I'm never wrong." We laughed along with a few of the others._

 _I looked around and spotted some surf boards on the beach. Then, I stared out at the open water. "I want to go out there." I said to no one in particular. I turned my head and saw Daryl looking at me._

 _"_ _What you wanna go swimmin'?" He asked me while taking a bit of an apple._

 _"_ _Yeah, but I mean…out there. Way out there." I gestured._

 _"_ _It's dangerous." My dad said. "I would have heart failure if I saw you all the way out there." He let out a small laugh._

 _"_ _Always wanted to learn how to surf." I shrugged. "What better time than now?" I looked at my dad seriously._

 _My dad hesitated. "Well, if you do, don't go far by yourself. Have someone else go with you. In fact, might even be safer to have two. And don't look at me because I'm not going out there."_

 _My shoulders slumped. I looked around him at Michonne. "You wanna learn how to surf?" I smirked. I noticed Glenn looked over at me when I said that._

 _She smiled. "Uh uh." She shook her head. "Sorry, honey."_

 _I was disappointed. I looked at Daryl and smiled sweetly but gave him sad eyes. "Daryl?"_

 _He smirked and kind of looked away. "I'on wanna go out there." He shook his head._

 _"_ _Oh, come on." I said a little frustrated. "No one wants to go surfing with me?"_

 _"_ _Who's talking about surfing?" Glenn said._

 _"_ _Me."_

 _"_ _I'll go." He shrugged._

 _"_ _Really?" I perked up._

 _"_ _Yeah, sounds fun." He said._

 _"_ _I'll come too." Rosita chimed in._

 _I looked at my dad and grinned from ear to ear. "That's two people!" He just smirked at me._

 _So, Glenn, Rosita and I grabbed some surf boards and paddled way out a distance into the water. I was super excited. We waited for a good wave and when one came, we all wiped out. It was awful. Rosita did the best. We all laughed. "Let's try it again." I said._

 _The three of us tried for a while and got better and better at it. And it was really fun! "Okay." I said. "I wanna go farther out. Like way out there."_

 _"_ _I don't know." Rosita said. "We might get knocked off our boards by the dolphins."_

 _"_ _So, we just get back on." I shrugged._

 _"_ _It's not that simple." She said. "You could get pulled under."_

 _"_ _Yeah or eaten by a shark." Glenn teased._

 _I laughed. "You'll be the one to get eaten by a shark, Glenn." We all laughed after that. There was a brief pause. "So, we doing this?"_

 _They seemed to share a look. Rosita shrugged. "Yeah, why not?" Glenn said. I was even more excited._

 _The three of us paddled out so far that we could barely see the others anymore. We were pretty far from the shore and for a long time, I didn't think we were ever going to get a wave. We just laid there on our boards talking. "So, what do you guys think of this new community?" I decided to ask._

 _Rosita shrugged. "I like it. I mean…it's better than being out there. I just wish we weren't so far up north. I don't like the cold."_

 _"_ _Me either." I said. "I'm not looking forward to winter."_

 _"_ _I think Pine Lane is nice." Glenn chimed in. "It'll be a nice place to…settle down." He shrugged. There was something weird about the way he said that. My eyes widened at him and I smiled. Glenn noticed. "Aw man." He said. "Maggie's gonna kill me. She wanted to be the one to tell everyone."_

 _"_ _You guys are having a baby?" I asked excitedly._

 _Glenn smiled at us but didn't say anything. Finally he nodded. "Congratulations!" We both said._

 _"_ _I'm gonna be an auntie!" I got excited and clapped._

 _"_ _Yeah, yeah." He said. "Just…when Maggie tells everyone, you guys better pretend to be surprised."_

 _"_ _I will."_

 _"_ _Scout's honor." Rosita said._

 _"_ _Any preference on gender?" I asked Glenn._

 _"_ _Oh on, I don't care." He said and smiled._

 _I thought for a minute. "I bet you guys have a boy." I smirked. He looked at me. "I just have a feeling." I shrugged. Glenn smiled and we just looked at each other for a minute. Just then, I heard waves behind me and glanced back. I smiled at them. "You guys ready?"_

 _We all prepared ourselves. When the time came, we stood on our boards. We were riding the wave! It was incredible! One of the greatest rushes of my life! I wanted to feel like this all the time. Then, everything changed._

 _I somehow slipped and fell off my board, I went under the water and got pushed around by the wave. When I finally came back up, I saw Glenn and Rosita riding away. They must not have known I fell off! I tried to call them but another wave took me under. I freaked out as I was under the water trying to get back up. As soon as I reached the surface, another wave crashed and pulled me under!_

 _I was gasping for air by the time I came back up and Glenn and Rosita were completely out of sight. I was scared but I couldn't panic, I had to get out of this. I remember someone telling me that if you're caught in the undertow, to roll sideways and it will get you out. That might only work if you can touch the bottom though. However, I gave it a try._

 _I rolled to my right. More waves came and just pulled me back under. I was choking once I came up. And another wave. I'm going to die. I remember thinking. I had no idea what to do. There was nothing for me to grab onto and hold myself up. And I was too far from the group for them to hear me. I couldn't even see anything. I was pulled under again, struggling badly and panicking. Then, I felt a peaceful feeling._

* * *

 _I opened my eyes but quickly closed them again, it was too bright. Is this heaven? I thought. No. I was able to look around. It was still light out so it has to be the same day. I was laying on the shore, but it didn't look like it did when I was with the group. Where am I? I slowly rolled over, that's when I started to cough and water came up. I got it all out, then just sat there for a minute catching my breath._

 _I have to find out where I am and get back to the group. My dad is probably having a heart attack wondering what happened to me. I weakly stood up, my legs were a little shaky at first and it was hard to stand._

 _I saw a little woodsy area and walked towards it. What the hell? Did I wash away all the way to the ocean? This looks like an island. Wouldn't that be something? I laughed a little._

 _Just then, people popped up and pointed their weapons at me. They were like spears or something. "Whoa!" I yelled and put my hands up. "It's okay! I-I washed up here. I'm not trying to harm anyone." They stepped closer with their spears. My eyes widened. "IT'S your territory! I get it! I didn't mean to find you guys! I swear!" I backed up. I saw a few of them glance at each other. None of them had made a move to hurt me yet. I calmed down a little. "So…I'll just be going now." I said and put my hands down. "You won't have to worry about me ever again."_

 _Just then, I saw two of them exchange a look, then one nodded. They stepped out and started coming towards me. It was then that I got a good look at them. They were dressed almost like cavemen, with like leaves and shit. They even had painted their faces. Who are these people?_

 _One of them grabbed me by the back of my neck, I squealed. "No, please, just let me go." I said. They walked with me. I was forced to follow. I had no weapons on me and more importantly, there was way more of them._

 _They took me into the woods and tied my hands up. Then, we went further away. I could see something weird up ahead. There was like something set up in the woods. I saw that there was even more people. My eyes widened. "Is this your camp?" I asked them but no one answered me. I got a better look at their setup and saw dead people on sticks! They were shoved through them and came out their mouths! I was frightened and turned to the person who I was closest to. "Look, please just let me go." I begged close to tears. "I-I promise I won't tell anyone about your secret camp. I promise." I was shaking my head rapidly._

 _"_ _Quiet." One of them said. It was the first time I heard them speak. I figured the best way for me to get out of this was to cooperate._

 _I was taken up in front of all the people. They were all looking at me as we walked up there. "Trespasser!" The guy who had me said. "What do?"_

 _"_ _Kill her! Kill her!" The people chanted. My eyes widened._

 _"_ _No!" Someone to the left of me said. We all looked. He walked closer and examined me, then looked up at the guy next to me. "Hostage." He nodded. "Hostage." I whimpered._

 _The man looked back to the crowd. "Thoughts?" He yelled. "Prisoner?"_

 _"_ _Prisoner! Prisoner!" They chanted._

 _My eyes widened. "No no, please not prisoner." I begged. "Please just let me leave."_

 _"_ _The people have spoken!" He yelled out. "Prisoner!" He pounded his spear on the ground. The others copied. I was terrified._

 _The people chanted and yelled things at me while I was being taken away. Some of them even threw stuff at me. Yeah, there's no chance of these people letting me go._

 _I was taken down into a place that looked like a dungeon. The man cut my ties on my hands, then opened the cell door for me. "Please don't." I looked up at him and shook my head. He put his hand on the back of my head and shoved me inside. "No!" I screamed and hit the floor hard. I looked up just as he locked the door, then walked away._

 _The first thing I did was look around for anyway I could escape. There was one window but it had bars on it. I tried it anyway. There was no way. I panicked. Was there anything I could use as a weapon? The only thing in there besides me was a bench. I tried lifting it from the floor, it was nailed down. There was no use._

 _I stopped and looked up breathing heavily. A thought crossed my mind and I ran over to the cell door. "Hey! Hello! Hey!" I called and banged on the bars. "Is anyone else down here?" No one answered. I was alone. It just now hit me the situation I was in. I sank to the floor and began to cry. What am I going to do?_


	35. Darkness

My dad and I were eating some food that we found. It was only a few snack things that my dad must have found in the kitchen. Stale chips was one of them. I kind of just picked at them, I wasn't hungry and had stuff on my mind. My dad was talking to me but I was being quiet. I wasn't in the mood to talk. He finally noticed.

"Abby, are you okay?" My dad asked me. "Are you still in a lot of pain?"

"Huh?" I snapped out of it. "Oh, no." I shook my head. "Sorry, I was just daydreaming." I pushed the bag of chips away and brushed the crumbs off of my pants. "And I'm not really that hungry, to be honest."

"Hm." He said with raised eyebrows. "Haven't heard you say that before." He smirked.

I gave a small smile back. "Yeah, I know. I think I'm just gonna lay down. But don't worry about me, I'll be fine." I said before getting up and taking my place back on the couch.

Stale chips aren't as bad as some things I have had to eat to stay alive. _They fed me bugs._ I remembered:

 _"_ _Did you have a family?" I asked the girl in the cell next to mine. I don't know what she looks like, we only talk. I have been locked down here for days now. I wasn't even sure how many._

 _"_ _Yeah. I was with a group. My dad, and little bro— I mean…sister." She corrected herself. "Sorry, I had a brother, too, but he died." She said sadly. I put my head down. "Anyway, they're part of the group along with some other people. We aren't related but…we're family."_

 _"_ _Yeah." I said. "I know exactly what you mean. I have that too. And same thing…dad and little sister. My brother died too." There was a brief pause after that._

 _"_ _I always…always felt responsible. Sort of with my mom too." She said._

 _My eyes widened a little. This girl and me…our stories are so similar that it's scary! "We're the same." I told her. "That's why we're both here."_

 _Just then, I heard footsteps coming. We were both quiet. The guard stood outside my cell, I looked at him in fear. He started to open my door. "Come." He said. I hesitated. "I said, come!" He startled me. I was breathing heavily and slowly walked up to him. When I was close enough, he grabbed my arm and pulled me out._

 _I tried to pull away so I could see the girl next to me, but he pulled me so I didn't get a look._

 _I was getting really scared at what was about to happen. Maybe they got sick of having me here and decided to kill me after all. I was breathing even heavier now and I could feel my heart pounding. It felt like it was going to explode._

 _He took me over to a woman, then walked away from us. I looked at the woman still breathing heavily. She gave me a small smile and handed me new clothes that was similar to theirs. I took it but gave her a curious look. "Strip." She said. I had no idea what she was talking about. "Strip." She said again and gestured to my clothes. My face flushed._

 _"_ _W-what? My-my clothes?" I stammered._

 _She nodded. "Strip and change."_

 _I didn't want to but I didn't really think I had much of a choice and this woman seemed nice enough. I decided to just listen to her. "Okay." I said. I took a look around, then quickly took my clothes off and put on what the woman gave me. It was a dress made from like leaves or something. It was itchy and made me feel weird._

 _The woman smiled. "You one of us now." She took my hand. "Come." She led us out to where everyone else was. What the hell is going on? I thought. She took me over to an older man that had some kind of stuff that he was using to paint people's faces with. "Sit." The woman pushed me down onto a chair. It was obvious about what was going to happen here. They wanted to paint my face._

 _"_ _Oh no. That's okay." I said. "I don't need—" I stopped when I saw the look on their faces. They looked angry. "O-kay." I said nervously. The man began painting my face. The stuff was warm, which was weird because I thought it would be cold for some reason. "Look." The man said. He gestured towards a barrel filled with water. I looked at my reflection. He had painted two stripes of red and one white across and down my face. I wondered what that meant._

 _I looked back up at him. "Thanks…I guess." I said._

 _The woman took me away again, there were people cooking something. It didn't smell great. "Here." She handed me a plate with pieces of something on it._

 _"_ _What is it?" I asked._

 _"_ _Grasshopper." She said._

 _"_ _Grasshopper?" I asked her again. She nodded. "No." I handed it back. "No, thank you." I shook my head._

 _They seemed to get angry. "You eat." She shoved the plate at me. "Eat! Now!" I was scared about what they would do to me if I didn't. I looked down at the fried bugs and swallowed hard. I can do this. I told myself. I picked one up and put it in my mouth, it crunched loudly, then was very soft. I gagged at the taste, hurrying to swallow. I nodded once I was done._

 _"_ _Good, thanks." I said. It was awful. The woman smiled quickly, then walked away. Like she just walked away and left me. A few people gave me looks whenever they walked passed me. If there was ever a chance of me escaping, it's now. I saw the cook still looking at me, so I looked at him and said, "think I'll go have a look around." I nodded. He gave me a weird look and didn't say anything. I began to walk away._

 _I said hello to people and smiled as we walked passed each other, they were still giving me weird looks as if I didn't belong there. Trust me, I know. I thought to myself._

 _I stopped next to a sign on a tree that marked their camp. I remembered coming through this way. My eyes widened and I glanced behind me. No one seemed to be paying me any mind. I didn't want to draw attention to myself so I calmly started walking down the trail._

 _Just then, a spear right want passed my head and stuck into a tree. I jumped. "She's getting away!" Someone yelled. I freaked out and ran. I ran as fast as I could while people were throwing stuff at me trying to stop me._

 _I have to get away! I saw the opening of the woods. I'm almost out! I ran for it…but someone stood in front of me with their spear. I stopped dead in my tracks with wide-eyes and put my hands up. "Please don't kill me." I said. "I-I have to get outta here! I don't belong here with you people. I belong with my people." I tried to fake cry. Maybe I can make them for sorry for me and they will let me go. "Please…I— Ah!" I felt something sting my neck. I quickly pulled it out, it was a dart. I looked at the guy next to me that blew it at me. Then, I got really dizzy and the next thing I know, I hit the ground._

* * *

 _When I woke up, I was back in my cell laying on the floor and my hands had cuffs on them. My head felt fuzzy. I sat up and that's when I realized, I had different clothes on. Did someone really undress me? I was wearing a dark gray pair of shorts with a matching t-shirt. I stood up and walked to the cell door but almost fell. I must still be feeling the affect of the blow dart._

 _"_ _Hey." I said to the girl next to me. "At least I'm back here with you." She didn't answer me. "Hey." I said again. "Are you there?"_

 _I heard footsteps just then and backed away against the wall. A man emerged in front of my cell, his face wasn't painted. "Hi." He said. I was so surprised that I couldn't speak. "Do you know what any of that was about?" He asked me. I still didn't say anything. "That was a test, to see if you were really one of us and you failed by trying to escape. So, now…this is where you live. You will remain our prisoner for the end of your days." It felt like I was punched in the stomach. "We can't let you leave." He started to walk away._

 _"_ _Wait!" I stopped him. I ran up to the cell door. "Who are you people? Why do you live like that?"_

 _He kind of smirked. "We invented a new way of living after the turn. Well, not a new way, the way it used to be. The way it should be." He paused. "That's why we speak the way we do."_

 _"_ _You mean like cavemen?" I cocked an eyebrow._

 _"_ _I wouldn't." He said. "You're in deep shit already." He gave me a scary look._

 _I stared at him for a moment before speaking. "Why can't you let me leave? Are-are you worried that I'll tell my people about you? Cuz I won't." I shook my head. "I promise. But if you don't let me go, if you keep me here, my people WILL eventually find me and all of your people are going to die. Is that what you want?" I nodded at him wide-eyed._

 _"_ _Your people think you're dead." He glared at me. I gave him an unintentional shocked look. "Yeah, we know. Who do you think pulled you out of the water?" He paused. I just stared at him in disbelief. "No one's coming to look for you. And we can't let you leave. We want you as a servant." He looked at me seriously. "You'll start tomorrow." He began walking away again._

 _"_ _W-wait!" I stopped him for a second time._

 _"_ _What do you want?" He snapped._

 _"_ _What happened to the girl in the cell next to mine?" I asked him. "You kill her?"_

 _The man just stared at me. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said._

 _I became angry. "There was a girl in the cell over there." I pointed. "We talked. What happened to her?"_

 _The man started to laugh. "You silly girl." He mocked me. "You're the only one down here. There was never another person here." He laughed again._

 _"_ _Liar!" I said._

 _"_ _Why would I lie?" He smirked. "If I had killed someone, don't you think I'd tell you? You saw the people on the pikes." He crossed his arms. I looked down taking in what he said. He brought his face closer to mine. "Silly girl." He said, then walked away._

 _I was left with my thoughts. Did I imagine that girl the whole time? No one answered me when I called earlier and that would explain why we had so much in common. She's was just my conscience. But how? I was so confused. I whimpered and put my cuffed hands on my head. My mind! It's in darkness! I'm sick! I sank to the floor and pulled my knees to my chest. My eyes were wide and I sat there like that crying._

* * *

 _I wasn't sure how long I have been here but I know it's been a long time. The nights were getting colder, I was given sweatpants. I was a slave to these people. I made their clothes and helped find the supplies to make them, plus helped them find food. That's the only time I was allowed out besides one bathroom break a day._

 _If I made any kind of mistake, whether it was missing a bug or animals or if I didn't stitch something correctly, I was punished for it. I either got beat or I wasn't allowed to eat. Either one was fine with me, at least it let me know I was still alive._

 _I gave up hope a long time ago. I respected these people even though I was being treated like shit. I kind of had to, if I were disrespectful to them, especially the elders, it would just result in me getting punished._

 _I was allowed one meal a day with one cup of water. The food I didn't mind so much, it was the water situation that was torture. My throat was always dry, I was always thirsty. However, I had to do what I had to do. Even though my life sucked right now, I didn't want to die. So…I guess maybe I didn't completely give up hope. It was still there deep inside of me…maybe._

 _I was sleeping on the cold hard floor of my prison(well trying to) when Loretta came to get me. It was time to go look for food. "Get up!" She yelled. "Hunt time." She let me out and unlocked my cuffs, then we went outside._

 _She took me far into the woods, I was digging in the dirt for bugs. "Grasshoppers, spiders and beetles." She reminded me._

 _"_ _Grasshoppers…spiders…beetles." I said slowly._

 _"_ _That's right." She said. "We gotta cook them, then eat them."_

 _No shit. I thought. As I was digging, I found a very pointy rock. It was like a light bulb went off above my head and got an idea. I had to keep playing along. "Grasshoppers, spiders, beetles." I said again. "Cook them, then eat them."_

 _"_ _Maybe one day I can show you how to cook snake." She said._

 _I already know how you dumb bitch. "Cook snake." I continued sounding dumb like them._

 _Just then, I spun around and stabbed her foot with the rock. She screamed and dropped down to the ground. I got up and ran as fast as I could. Unfortunately that wasn't very fast because I was weak from lack of food and water. And sleep._

 _I heard yelling from the other people but ignored it and kept running. If only there was somewhere I could hide. I desperately searched around. There was a little house in the distance. I couldn't believe my eyes and ran to it._

 _I got inside and looked around for weapons, there was nothing. I could see the tribe coming as I looked out the window. I know I'm just going to get caught again. I accepted it. However, I saw paper and a pencil laying on the floor. That gave me an idea. I quickly folded the paper up into a tiny square and shoved that and the pencil down the front of my pants. The door flew open just then and there stood three men. I put my hands up. I was hit and knocked around even though I obliged._

 _I got beat as soon as I got back to the camp. I was handcuffed again and thrown into my cell hitting the floor hard. I breathed heavily and pretended to be scared until they left. Then, I pulled out my paper and pencil._

 _Maybe I can tie a message to a bird's leg. Maybe I was out of my mind. But it was my only hope. I wrote a short message on it, then signed my name. That will have to do. I sighed._

* * *

 _Later on in the evening, I was staring out my cell window. The sun was going down, I hated when it got dark. The only light I had was the moon. I waited for a bird to come by all day but I didn't have any luck. I looked down at my note. I must be out of my head._

 _Suddenly, I heard a voice. My head snapped up and I looked out the window. There was a woman! She was wearing normal clothes and didn't have her face painted! She's not one of them! My eyes grew wide and I looked down at the paper. I got a new idea._

 _I turned the paper over and quickly drew a map to my community. It was kind of scribbly, I hope she will be able to read it. I was desperate. I waited for her to come closer, then I reached out and grabbed her ankle. She kind of squealed. "Please help me!" I said. "Please! Don't run away!" I said frantically. The woman seemed to calm down a little and gave me her attention. "You need to get out of here right now. There's bad people." I was wide-eyed. I saw the woman's expression change and she looked around. "I need you to go to my home and find my dad. His name is Rick Grimes." I said clearly. "Tell him his daughter is still alive and is being held prisoner. My name's Abby." I handed her the map, I was happy that she took it. "Go! Please! Go!" The woman ran away back the way she came. I watched her until I couldn't see her anymore. I was breathing heavily and needed to calm down. I hope she gets away, I hope she makes it._

* * *

 _I stared at the moon that night. I was feeling hopeful again. If that woman…if that woman finds Pine Lane and tells my dad and the others. They will come rescue me. I smiled a little. The night air felt good on my face._

 _I missed the fresh air. It smells bad down here in this dungeon. Like mildew and dust and just plain dirty. I coughed just then. I was feeling a little stuffy too. I must be getting sick._

 _I wondered how long it will take my dad to get here. I can't wait to see him along with the others. Daryl. I smiled. I wonder how things have been? What was everyone doing? Were they looking for me? Or do they really think I'm dead? The thought scared me._

 _Maybe he won't even listen to the woman, he did always have trust issues. Maybe the woman won't make it? I put my head down for a moment, then looked back up at the moon. No. Don't think like that. She's going to get there and tell my dad, then they are going to find me and everything will be okay. I nodded and forced a smile. Try to get some sleep. I laid down on the bench and closed my eyes. I can't wait to see my dad._

* * *

 _I coughed weakly as I lay on the cold, hard prison floor. It's been three days since I saw that woman. They're not comin'. I thought. I might as well just give up. So many things could have gone wrong. She could have got lost, she could have died. Maybe she threw my map on the ground and went back to her life. Or maybe she told her people and they went to my community and killed everyone and took their stuff. She seemed like a nice lady but who knows these days. I coughed again._

 _I was so sick. My chest and back actually hurt. I could barely breathe, my nose was stuffy as well. I was pretty much screwed. And I didn't care anymore. I was probably going to die anyway. So what's the point? I don't want anymore false hope. I couldn't bare it. I breathed in and out. I sounded horrible._

 _I heard footsteps, then one of the guys was standing there. "Time for fishing." He said to me._

 _"_ _No." I said. There was no way I could do anything right now._

 _"_ _What was that?" He asked me._

 _"_ _I said, no." I raised my voice a little. "Do it your damn self."_

 _He glared at me and began opening my cell. I knew he was coming to hurt me but I didn't care anymore. I was pretty sure I was going to die. "Barnard!" A woman yelled down to him. "Help!" Barnard looked back at me, then became angry and closed and locked my cell. He ran out of the dungeon._

 _I sat up because I thought I could hear yelling and running around. Maybe they found that woman and was bringing her in. I laughed a little. Wouldn't that be something? They wouldn't need me anymore because they would have a new slave. A healthy one. So they would just kill me. I don't care, I'm ready to die. In a way, that woman still would have helped me because she ended my suffering. I sniffled._

 _"_ _Go around that way." I heard a familiar voice say. My eyes shot open. Dad? I rolled over and looked up at my window. I saw feet passing by. "Dad!" I called._

 _They came back and were standing in front of my window. "Abby?"_

 _"_ _Dad! It's me!" I yelled. "I'm down here!" I jumped up and down even though how I was feeling._

 _I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and then there stood my dad! "Daddy!" I said. I ran to the cell door._

 _"_ _Abby." My dad was wide-eyed. "Hold on, baby. I'm gonna get you out. I'm gonna get you out." He struggled with the lock and the keys he had. "Damnit!" He said as he tried a third time._

 _"_ _It's the square one." I said and looked up at him. "I think." I coughed. My dad tried the square key like I said and it finally unlocked. He threw the door opened and immediately hugged me. I began to relax as soon as my face was in his shoulder. My dad's face was on my head and he was crying into my hair. I couldn't hug him back because my hands were still cuffed. He let go of me and grabbed my face so he could look at me. He kissed my forehead. I lifted my hands up so he would get the hint. I was feeling totally out of it._

 _He unlocked my hands, it felt so much better. Then, he hugged me again. He was crying and kissing my head. "I'm so happy you're alive, baby." He sobbed. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked at me again. "Are you okay?"_

 _I just shook my head no and coughed into my shirt. I was feeling even weaker than before. I collapsed into my dad's arms._

 _I remember waking up before we got back to Pine Lane. Abraham was carrying me. I mumbled something like, "where are we?"_

 _"_ _We're almost home." He said in a rough tone. "Just go back to sleep, princess. I got you." So I leaned my head on him and went back to sleep._

 _I woke up again but this time I was in the infirmary back home. "What's wrong with her?" My dad asked the doctor._

 _"_ _Well, besides being extremely malnourished and dehydrated…she's got a serious respiratory infection. Most likely from breathing in mold, mildew and whatever else was in that dirty cell she was in." Dr. Cohen said._

"Abby?" My dad said bringing me back to the now. "Should I be worried? You're acting strange." He looked like he got a thought just then. "You didn't hit your head, too, when you fell, did you?"

I had to think for a minute. "…n-no." I shook my head. "I'm fine, dad. Really." I paused. "If you want to know the truth, I was still thinking about it." I admitted. "When I was taken. I brought it up earlier."

"Yeah, I remember." He nodded. "I think about it too. I almost lost you twice. You were so sick when we found you. I…" He trailed off shaking his head. We were both quiet for a minute.

"Will you tell me a few things about it?" I asked him. He gave me a curious look. I cleared my throat and looked down. "What happened after I disappeared?"

My dad seemed to hesitate. "…we thought you were dead." He looked at me seriously. "We searched the area for a while but…we figured you'd got swept under and was…gone." He said the last part quietly. "I nearly had a heart attack when Glenn and Rosita came back without you. I just knew something bad had happened. And we saw it. We saw you go down and not come back up." My dad looked pained almost.

That's a horrible thing that he had to go through. To think that one of your kids was dead but you didn't know for sure and there was nothing you could do about it. He already lost one kid. I closed my eyes for a moment. "What happened when that woman I sent found you?"

My dad looked at me again. "I was at the front, at the shop when she came through. She was yelling for Rick Grimes." He nodded. "I was real curious as to what she wanted and how she knew me. So I said, I'm Rick Grimes. Then, she said, 'Abby sent me. She's still alive but she's being held prisoner.' I was just…"

"In shock?" I said.

"Yeah." My dad nodded. "Something like that."

"Well, thanks for coming to get me." I gave him a small smile.

He pushed my hair back. "I would do anything for you. And Judith." Then, he sighed. "And I would have done anything for Carl."

I nodded. "I know. I know, daddy." I put my hand on his hand.

He looked at me for a moment, then let out a small laugh. "You know, after we found you and you passed out, Daryl wanted to carry you but we wouldn't let him because he got hit with a spear in his arm during the ambush." My dad nodded. "He was pretty mad." He raised his eyebrows and grinned.

I had to smile at that. "You never told me. Neither did he."

"Well…I didn't want to talk about that time. That horrible time." He shook his head. "Like I said, one of the worst days of my life was losing you, then one of the best was getting you back. But then I saw how sick you were and it was like all over again."

"Well, I was okay. Just like I will be now." I smiled.

My dad smiled back at me, then kissed my forehead. "I love you." I got a random guilty feeling just then.

"Love you too." I smiled. He got up and moved over to the chair.

As I was laying there, I began to feel more and more guilty. About what though? I was so confused. Was it that he was honest with me and he answered my questions about that time? I was still keeping something from him. The thing I didn't get to talk to him about yet. I didn't like lying to my dad, it didn't feel right. I think it's finally time to come clean. "Dad?" I said.

"What?" He answered without looking at me. I don't know why but I was suddenly overtaken by emotions and I started crying. I put my head down and sobbed. Out of the side of my eye, I saw my dad look at me. "Abby? Abby, what's wrong, baby?" He came back over to me.

I tried to say something but I couldn't yet, I was still crying pretty hard. My dad hugged me and just held me there like that until I finally started to calm down. I pulled away from him and sat back, he gave me a weird look. "There's s-something I've b-been wanting to t-talk to you about." I said. I took a few minutes before speaking again and took deep breaths so I could talk normal. "I know about Judith." I looked at him. His eyes seemed to widened a little. "I saw mom and Shane one time…back at that camp." I looked down guiltily. "They were kissing in the tent. I knew they…they had a thing." I looked back up at him, he looked almost confused and was shaking his head a little. "I know Judith isn't yours. She's Shane's daughter." I tapped my fingers together nervously. "And I know that you know that. That's why you said that to me the other day. When you said I'm all you have left now. Because you know that Judith isn't your real daughter."

My dad was shaking his head. "Abby." He paused. "Judith is mine." I was about to say something but he spoke first. "She's my daughter and I love her. But you're right. She isn't mine. Biologically, she's not my kid." He shook his head. "But that doesn't change anything. That doesn't change how I feel about her. I love her just like how I love you and Carl."

"I know." I said wide-eyed and sat up a little. "I know and I would never doubt that. I wasn't saying that. I just meant that…I know." I shrugged. "And I'm sorry I never told you about mom and Shane. I just…didn't think it was for me to say."

"You're right. It wasn't." He said immediately. For a second, I thought he was mad. "And if that's bothering you, let it go right now because that had nothing to do with you." He shook his head.

I hesitated. "…I was." I shrugged. "I don't like lying to you. I hated having to lie to you about Daryl, but…he wouldn't let me tell you. I understood why but still…"

My dad nodded and sighed. "Well, it's okay. I hope you feel better now." He grabbed my hand.

I nodded. "Yeah. I do." I gave him a small smile. I'm glad I got that off of my chest. "Let's head out tomorrow." I said. "I'm ready to go home."


	36. Don't Tease The Dog

"Hi, Daryl." I smiled sweetly at him when he opened the door.

"Hi, baby." We kissed briefly, then we hugged each other tightly. That feeling I always have went away and it even helped my pain a little.

"I missed you so much." I said. "I never want to be away from you that long again." I stood on my toes and kissed his cheek.

"Hey." Daryl said. I felt his hand move away from, I looked just in time to see he and my dad shake hands. "Have any trouble?" Daryl and I finally let go of each other.

My dad seemed to hesitate. "…a little actually." He finally said. "She got hurt. So…I didn't think she was going to tell you, but I wanted you to know."

My face flushed. "Dad?" I gave him a look. _Why do I still get embarrassed about that stuff? You'd think I would be used to it by now._

Daryl's expression changed. "What do you mean? What happened?" He looked to and from my dad and me. Eventually, his eyes just rested on me.

I gave my dad an annoyed look before turning to Daryl. He had a rough look on his face while waiting for an answer. "I may have…fallen out a window…or something like that." I shrugged and looked away.

"What?" Daryl said. "Ya fell out a window?" I could feel his eyes on me. "How the hell did that happen?"

"Thank I'm gonna head home." My dad, I guess took that as his cue to leave. _Yeah, thanks a lot, dad._ I gave him a quick hug before he walked away. Then, I looked back up at Daryl. He didn't look happy.

"I'm fine." I said to him. "Let's go inside. I'm freezing. Burrr!" I said with a laugh and headed inside our home.

"How do ya know yer fine?" Daryl said following behind me. He closed and locked the door. "Did ya get checked out when ya came in?"

I hesitated. I almost lied and told him that I did so he would get off of my back, but I can't lie to him. It doesn't feel right. I opened a bag of chips and ate one. "No." I finally said. He exhaled sharply through his nose and seemed like he was going to say something but I spoke first. "I'm fine." I said again but more forcefully this time. "If I'm feeling bad again, I'll go to the doctors. I promise." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

"You better." He said roughly. I smiled and put a chip to his lips, he ate it.

"So, did you miss me?" I asked sweetly.

"More than you know." Daryl said. He hugged me to him and began kissing my neck making me giggle. It was feeling really good and that's when I realized that it's been a while since we had sex.

"Well…what are you gonna do about it?" I looked at him with a lascivious grin.

There was a brief pause as we stared intensely at each other. I could almost hear the sexy music in my head. Then, Daryl said, "we cain't." It felt like I was punched in the stomach and the sexy music in my head stopped. I could almost hear the record stop noise out loud.

My eyes widened as I looked at him. "Why?" I questioned him sadly.

"Cuz," he shook his head, "yer all hurt." He walked away from me.

"No, I'm not." My eyes followed him.

"Look, baby," he sighed, "let's just give it a day or two. Just so you can recuperate." He nodded. _Or two?_

I stared at him for a long time. Finally, I shrugged. "Fine." I didn't hide my disappointment. "If that's what you want." I started to walk away.

"Hey." Daryl stopped me. "It ain't what I want. Trust me, I want to throw ya on the bed right now after not seein' ya for almost four days. But it's what you need. It's better to play it safe, especially if ya ain't gon' see the doctor."

I thought about what he said. He's probably right but…I really wanted to have sex. I guess it is better to play it safe though. I finally just nodded. I'm glad he cares about me. I smiled. "Okay."

"Good." He said. Then, he pursed his lips and bit down on them. I smiled because I knew what was about to happen. He gave me a slap on my bottom. I laughed and turned to try and walk away but he grabbed me then.

"I missed this too." He said with his hands on my behind and squeezed. I giggled loudly.

"Stop!" I playfully smacked his arm. "Don't tease the dog if you aren't going to feed it." I gave him a look, then smirked. I started making tea at the counter.

He raised his eyebrows. "Yer the one that's teasin' the dog. All I gots to do is look at ya."

"Well," I looked at him over my shoulder, "that's your fault. Don't be such a _dirty_ dog then." I laughed.

"I thought ya liked me that way." He was there pressed up against me now. His hands touched my waist, my shirt rode up a little so Daryl put his hands under and lifted it so he was touching my flesh.

I felt that "there." And speaking of dogs, I was practically panting like one. I grabbed his hands and took them off of me, then turned to face him. "Seriously, Daryl, if you're not going to have sex with me, then you can't do stuff that like. Your touch is like…" I trailed off and grinned wildly. He gave me an almost startled look, which made me laugh. "I just go crazy when you touch me." I calmed down a little.

"Alright." He said. Our lips met. I just felt all the nicest feelings running through me. Daryl Dixon is like a rare creature. Rare but beautiful. And I was more than ecstatic that he was my man. We pulled apart and just looked at each other. I brushed his hair out of his face, then touched him. He kissed my cheek again. "Imma go check the snares I set up in the woods. I'll be right back."

"Okay. I'm gonna have a shower after my tea." I took a sip from my mug smiling as the warm tasty liquid went down.

"Alright." He started to leave but slapped my bottom one more time. We smiled at each other.

"Dirty dog."

I went to the bathroom when I was done with my tea. I got a quick but sharp pain as I started to urinate. _That was weird._ I always get random pains so I didn't think much of it. However, I noticed there was some blood so I stood up to have a look and there blood in the toilet. I gasped. _That can't be good. Maybe I_ should _go see the doctor. Just to make sure everything is okay._ If I tell Daryl about this, he's going to make me go. I can't lie to him though.

I sighed and got into the shower.

* * *

I walked out of our bedroom fully clothed in fresh clothes. Daryl was sitting at the table with what looked like a rabbit, it was already skinned and gutted. He usually does that outside if it's a bigger animal.

"Hey." I said to him.

"Hey. I got us a rabbit." He held it up. "I hoped that there would be more but…" He trailed off and shrugged.

"That's good." I said. "I'll make some rabbit stew." I smiled. "Thanks for getting that." I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed the top of his head.

"Ya don't gotta thank me." He said.

"Well, I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you." I nodded and smiled. He didn't say anything to that. I turned around and started to get out the big pot that we use to make homemade soup and stew. But I got a pain right then, not a bad one but it reminded me of what happened earlier. I have to tell him.

It was quiet for a minute as I thought of the best way to say it. "Hey, Daryl." I said slowly turning to him.

"Yeah?" He answered without looking up.

I hesitated. "…you know I was thinking…maybe I should go see the doctor." His head snapped up immediately and he looked at me. "Just to see if everything is okay." I nodded.

"Why? What happened?" His full on concern was back.

I hesitated again because I didn't want to alarm him. I opened my mouth but didn't say anything right away. "…there was some blood in my pee. But—

Daryl was on his feet in a minute. "Yer goin' to the doctors right now. I'll throw ya over my shoulders if ya don't."

"Daryl." I said calmly and wide-eyed with my hands up. "I just said I'd go. Calm down. It's okay." I tried. "It's probably nothing. I had a friend that told me if she got hit in her kidneys that sometimes she had blood in her pee. It's probably just that." I nodded.

Daryl stared at me for a moment. "Well…either way. Yer gettin' checked out."

* * *

Daryl came with me to the doctors. I got some x-rays and was given an ultrasound to check for internal bleeding. I feel like all of this is going to be for nothing. I wasn't going to say anything, though, because Daryl would get mad at me, possibly the doctor too.

"Well, nothing's broken." Dr. Cohen said looking over my x-rays. "And you don't have any internal bleeding." He paused. "You said there was blood in your urine?"

"Yes." I answered. Daryl had his had on my back and his thumb occasionally rubbed me. It felt nice, but I was more focused on what the doctor was saying to me at the moment.

"Did you have pain during urination?" He asked me.

"Um…yeah…like right before. But that was the first time." I nodded. "It didn't bother me yesterday." I glanced at Daryl and he gave me a look. I shrugged. _What? I'm being honest._

"Let's take a urine sample just to be safe." He nodded and wrote something down. "So, you fell out a window, huh?" He looked at me with wide-eyes but kind of smiled. "How far down was it?"

"Uh, well…I would say two stories but it seemed like a long way down to me." I said with a laugh.

"You're lucky you didn't break you neck or back." He said. "That could have been a lot worse, little lady."

"Yeah, I know." I smiled. I glanced at Daryl, he was giving the doctor a weird look. I almost laughed.

"But," the doctor looked up at me, "you're probably fine. It was probably just from the hard fall." He nodded. "Believe it or not, something as simple as running a long and hard marathon can cause blood in the urine."

"Yeah, that's what I figured." I said apathetically.

* * *

I gave a urine sample, then it was checked and came back negative for a bladder infection or anything. I never thought I had one. So, Dr. Cohen basically gave me some tests and everything was fine. He just said to come back if I have more issues or if this continues. But why was there blood in my pee? Oh well. It's like I said before, it was probably nothing.

"Well, that was pointless." I said to Daryl.

"No, it wasn't." He said roughly. "We had to get ya checked out."

"He basically said, you're fine and kicked us out." I looked at him. "But I'm fine. No need to worry." I smiled.

"Yeah, well, if ya have anymore troubles, yer comin' right back." Daryl said roughly.

"Yeah, I know." I rolled my eyes. "That's what the doctor said."

"He's a jerk." He said. "Sometimes I don't even thank that asshole knows what he's talkin' about."

I laughed a little. "Well, that's most doctors." I raised my eyebrows. "But you can take way better care of me than that guy anyway."

Daryl looked at me. "Yeah and speakin' of, yer takin' it easy fer the next few days." He nodded. "I'll take care 'a thangs."

"Yes, Dr. Dixon." I smirked. He grabbed me and planted several kisses on my cheek. I giggled. I love when he plays like that.

We arrived back home. "Oh, I need to tell you about what happened out on our run." I said. "My dad and I found something really creepy." I smiled.

"Oh yeah?" Daryl said opening the door for me. I stepped inside. "Does it involve ghost stuff?"

"Yeah, it does." I perked up. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess." He smirked.

"Okay, well anyway…we found the creepiest house, I swear." I started. "When I checked the basement, there was candles still lit and formed into a circle and like some satanic shit like someone was having rituals down there or something."

"No shit?" Daryl said. He got something out of the fridge and sat down.

"Yeah, and I found one of those EVP devices. You know, to talk to ghosts?" I said. I looked down and saw that he had a can of beer. My brain didn't fully register it, though, so I kept talking. "And we used it to…talk to the spirits…in the house." I slowed down as I realized he was drinking.

"Damn." Daryl said opening his beer. "That's some crazy shit." He raised his eyebrows and took a gulp from the can. I just watched him and stared at him. Finally he looked up at me.

I started shaking my head. "What are you doing?"

"What do ya mean?" He gave me curious look and took another gulp. I didn't say anything, just gestured to the can in front of him. He looked down at it, then back up at me. "I'm havin' a beer." He said and shrugged like it was no big deal.

I gave him a serious look. "Are you serious right now?" I let out a laugh even though nothing was funny. He gave me an innocent look like he really didn't understand. _Seriously? How could he be so stupid? Talk about teasing the dog. I guess I'm going to have to spell it out for him._ "You can't just drink in front of me. You know I'm trying to quit. Why would you do that?" I said angrily.

Daryl still looked like he didn't fully understand. "I-I'm sorry." He shook his head. "I didn't thank about it. I-I just got it out."

I gave him the most annoyed look but calmed down a little. "Yeah, well, you can't do that. You're gonna make it so much harder on me." I turned around and had a thought. "In fact, I don't want alcohol in this house at all ever. This is now an alcohol free zone." I got the six pack out of the fridge and sat it on the counter, then took one of the cans out and opened it.

"Whoa, wait a minute." Daryl was suddenly there and grabbed my arm stopping me. "What are ya doin'?"

Our eyes met. "I'm gonna dump it down the drain."

"Nah." He said quickly and grabbed the opened can out of my hand along with the others. "That's wastin' it. I'll drank 'em when ya ain't here." He said nonchalantly. I gave him a look. "I didn't mean it that way." He shook his head.

"Well…whatever way you meant it, it doesn't matter." I said shaking my head. "I don't want that in my house." I put my hand out for his cans.

He just looked at me, then down at his beer and took a step back. "No." He said. I gave him a look. "Just cuz you gotta problem don't mean I gotta be punished fer it too."

I was so shocked that my mouth almost dropped and I gave him a serious look. I was completely appalled at what he just said that I just stared at him. I couldn't even form the right words. "In case you didn't know," I started, "when you asked me to be your wife, we became one. That means my problems _are_ your problems and vice versa. Anything we go through is together." I paused. Daryl looked a little guilty. Maybe. "So, I'm gonna ask you, Daryl…are you really choosing beer over me?"

"I ain't choosin' nothin' over no one." He snapped. "I just don't see the problem in me havin' a damn drank every once in a while."

"Because I'm a fuckin' alcoholic and I don't want it in the house!" I snapped back.

Daryl paused for a moment and we just stared at each other. Finally he nodded and sat down. "Well…maybe you shouldn't 'a done that to yerself." He took a gulp of his beer.

I stared at him in disbelief. _I felt hurt and betrayed. I couldn't believe he just said that to me. Never in a million years would I think he would hurt me like that. Nothing he ever said before wounded me more than this._ I sighed. "Okay, Daryl." I said calmly and nodded. "Have your beer." I pushed the six pack closer to him. "Have all the beer you want. Just know that as long as you have that, you don't have me." And with that, I walked away to grab a few things and pack a bag.

"Aw, come on, Abigail." Daryl said clearly annoyed. "Yer overreactin' about this."

"No, I'm not." I shouted so he could hear me in the other room. "You don't know what I'm going through and how I feel about it." I let out a small laugh. "And you don't care." I quickly shoved some items and clothes in my bag, then walked out of the room while putting my coat on.

"Where are ya goin'?" Daryl said still annoyed.

"I don't know. I'll figure it out." I opened the door and quickly stepped out, then closed it behind me.

I wasn't even off of the porch when I had a thought. I stopped and looked down at the ring on my finger. _It's obvious that he's not ready for this type of commitment, he just proved it to me._ I slowly spun the ring back and forth as I thought. _But am I overreacting about this?_ I had to think about that for a minute. _I don't think I am. And he needs to know how serious I am about this._ I stayed firm and nodded to myself.

I walked back into the house. Daryl was still sitting in his same spot, we locked eyes and I just stood there. Neither of us said anything for a minute.

I took the ring off without taking my eyes away from him, then I sat it on the table. He just looked at me, then casted his eyes down to the ring. I stood there for a few seconds, then left again. But for real this time.

I was going to say something to him, but then I realized I didn't have to say anything. My actions spoke louder than any words that could have come out of my mouth. I bit my lip as I was walking down the street. _I just hope I'm doing the right thing here._

* * *

 **Happy Halloween!**


	37. Sacrifices

I tightened my jacket around me and shivered. Why couldn't this argument happen in the summertime? I hate winter so much. My teeth chattered as I walked around. _What am I doing?_ I had no idea where I was even going.

It was getting later and later as I walked around. I got to see everyone's lights though. It's a shame how nice some people decorate their homes and his is just…blah. Whenever I go back home, whenever that is, I'm telling Daryl I want to decorate our house with some nice lights. Something.

I honestly just wish we had a bigger home. I gasped just then as I had a thought. If we have children, where would they even sleep? His trailer has one bedroom. We will have to move.

Also, I don't know why I keep referring to our home as _his_ home. That's _our_ home now. Things are going to be different. In fact, I should have kicked him out instead of me leaving. But that would just result in he coming back. This way, I can go back when _I_ want to. But yeah, things are going to change after this. He needs to realize that it's US now and not just he or I. It's both of us. I nodded to myself. _If_ we work things out. I swallowed.

I was still walking around when I realized I was close by Glenn and Maggie's trailer. I stopped in front of their house and just looked at it. They had some lights around their property. I should go in and visit. It's been a long time since I have seen them. Maybe they can even offer me some advice.

I walked up to their house and knocked on the door. I took a step back as I heard footsteps coming. Maggie answered it, she looked a little surprised to see me but then smiled. "Abby, hey." She gave me a quick hug. "It's been so long."

"I know." I said. "Sorry for just dropping by like this, but I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd say hi."

She nodded. "Well, come on inside out of the cold." She moved aside so I could come in.

"Thanks." I said rubbing my arms as I stepped inside. I looked around briefly. They had pictures on the walls and little decorations around. I guess they found one of those old cameras that takes a picture and spits it out right then and there. "Cute little place." I smiled.

Maggie grinned. "Yeah, we just put things out when we find them."

"Good idea." I smiled back. "So, where's Glenn?"

"Out on a run." She nodded. "We needed a few things and the shop didn't have them."

"Oh." I let out a little sigh. "What about the little guy?" I smiled. "He in bed already?"

Maggie smiled again. "No, but he's just about ready." She walked towards the back room. "Hershel!" She called. "Come out here, we have company." She walked back over to where I was. I heard little feet coming and got a little excited. Glenn and Maggie's son emerged into the room, he smiled when he saw me.

"Hi, Hershel!" I smiled sweetly at him and put my arms out. He came to me and we hugged. "Oh, you're so sweet." I kissed his head and sat him on my lap. "You're gettin' so big already. How old are you now?"

"Fouw." He held up four fingers.

"Wow, four years old." I widened my eyes. "You're a big guy already." He smiled. _He is so cute!_ Maggie and I smiled each other.

We sat there like that for a little. I was bouncing Hershel on my knee. "So…how are you guys?" I asked Maggie.

"We're good." She smiled. "Everythin's been great." She nodded. I could tell by the look on her face that she was telling the truth. It made me happy. Glenn and Maggie always looked so good together. And now they have a family. I smiled down at Hershel.

"How are you and Daryl?" She asked me.

I looked up at her a little surprised. _I didn't even know they knew about that._ "Oh, you know about…us?"

"Word gets around pretty quickly." She nodded.

"Oh." I put my head down. I didn't know if that was a good thing or bad thing. "We're good…for the most part." I said. I gave her a weird look. "Do you guys think it's…weird?"

She looked at me for a minute and didn't say anything. "I'll admit, at first, yeah. A little." She said. I sighed and looked down. "But what I've come to realize about a relationships is that it doesn't matter what other people think. All that matters is that you're happy. Both of you."

I looked back up at her and gave her a small smile. Suddenly, I remembered about what happened between us recently. "Actually…I'd like your opinion on something if you don't mind?"

"Sure." She said.

I looked down and bit my lip. "Well, uh…" I trailed off. I wasn't sure if we should talk about this in front of the kid. I hoped she would get the hint without me telling her. Thankfully, she did.

"Come on, Hershel." Maggie said. "Time for bed."

I lifted the little guy off of my lap. "Night night, Hershel." I said and kissed his head. Maggie took his hand and took him into his room.

She was gone for about five minutes, then came back into the room. "Okay." She said. "I'll try to help as best as I can but I cain't make any promises."

I nodded, then hesitated. "…so…I'm an alcoholic." I decided to just blurt out and kind of shrugged. She gave me a curious look. "I've been abusing alcohol for a long time. And it's gotten pretty bad." I nodded. Her look turned to concern. I hesitated again. "…we want to have a family one day, so I decided to quit altogether. But…" I trailed off and tapped my fingers together nervously. "Earlier today…Daryl was drinking beer right in front of me." I looked back up and cleared my throat. "I told him he couldn't do that and that I didn't want alcohol in the house. Period. Well, he kinda got mad and we had a little argument and I left." I looked down again and paused. "I just don't know if I'm overreacting about this whole thing. I mean…I don't think I am. I feel strongly about it." I shrugged. "He doesn't understand what it's like for me. I know in a way that I did it to myself but…" I trailed off and sighed. Maggie smiled at me. "I just don't know." I decided to just stop talking.

"You wanna know what I think?" She asked. I looked up at her. "I think you already know the answer to that." She said. I gave her a curious look. "You said it's something you feel strongly about. If that's true, then you stick with that and you don't back down. Because I think you're right." She gave me a serious look. "When my daddy quit drinkin', he wouldn't even allow it in the house." She nodded.

I thought about what she just said. "Oh yeah." I said. "Yeah, that's right. I forgot that Hershel was an alcoholic." I nodded.

"Yeah." She said. "So, I know what you're going through." Maggie put a hand on my shoulder. "If you really don't want alcohol in the house, then that's what has to happen. I mean…he has to think…is he going to pick alcohol over you?" She widened her eyes. "You let him know that. And I wouldn't worry. Daryl's a smart guy, he'll make the right choice." She smiled at me.

I took in everything she just said and smiled back at her. "Thanks, Maggie. And for the record, you helped me a lot." I nodded.

She smiled back and rubbed my arm. "Well, I'm glad I could help." She nodded. There was a brief pause. "It's gettin' late." Maggie said. "Glenn probably won't be back until tomorrow. You're welcome to stay the night here if you'd like?"

"Uh…" I thought about going home. I felt tired and really didn't feel like dealing with that tonight. "Yeah, sure." I nodded. "If you really don't mind? I would like that."

* * *

I slept on Maggie's couch that night and left the next morning. I didn't leave really early or anything but I didn't stay for breakfast. Maggie said we should visit more often and I agreed. I told her Judith and Hershel need to get together for a play date. I'm sure my dad would love that.

Speaking of my dad, I thought about stopping over there before I went home but I decided not to. I didn't want to tell everyone about our problems and they would definitely know that something was wrong considering I just spent like four days with my dad on that run. So, I just went home.

The door wasn't locked when I got there. That's a good thing. I didn't want to have to be let into my own house when Daryl knows I could come home at anytime. However, then I thought it was strange when I realized he wasn't there. I guess maybe he did leave it unlocked for me. I wonder where he went? I didn't think he went hunting because he just did that yesterday.

Oh well. I shrugged. At least I have the place to myself for a little. That thought went away when I saw the dirty dishes in the sink. I sighed. _Daryl Dixon._ I might as well do them. I began filling the sink with hot water, then went to take my wedding ring off. I looked at my hand when I didn't feel anything. _My bad._ I forgot I'm not wearing it right now. I sighed heavily. I wonder what he did with the ring? It's not on the table where I left it.

Once I was done with that, I decided to have a quick shower. I didn't want to wash my hair, though, because I just did yesterday. I walked into our bedroom and got my hair band off of the end table and began pulling my hair up when something caught my eye. It was my ring, it was on my pillow. I looked down at it thoughtfully. _I wonder if that's how he slept._ A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

* * *

After a quick shower, I decided to make something for breakfast. It was more like brunch now but what does that matter? I never went by that stuff anyway. If I felt like having pizza for breakfast or ice cream for dinner, you best believe I did that.

I opened the fridge to get the eggs out and…I was back to being mad just like that. The cans of beer were still in the fridge. He kept them after all that. I sighed. We're going to have to talk about this.

I was making the eggs at the stove when I heard the door open. I knew Daryl came in but I didn't turn around or even say anything. There was a slight pause, then I felt his arm wrap around me from behind and he put his face on my face. I kind of calmed down a little and placed my hand over his. We stayed like that for a minute.

"You still mad at me?" Daryl was the first to speak.

I raised my eyebrows and sighed. _This is going to change both of our moods._ I went back to the eggs on the stove. "Well, considering you still have the beer in the fridge, yes." I said honestly. I heard Daryl kind of sigh but he didn't say anything or move. So, I decided to continue. I turned around to face him. "I'm not backing down on this." I looked at him seriously. "I feel very strongly about it. And I don't want alcohol in the house. Ever." We stared at each other for a moment. "And if you can't respect that, then you're choosing the beer over me. Because this is important to me and so that means alcohol is more important to you than me."

He sighed again. "Abby…"

"No, listen. I'm not done." I stopped him. "I'm not asking you to quit drinking, Daryl." I said shaking my head. "I just don't want it around me or in the house." I paused. "Now when you put that ring on my finger, you made a commitment. Like I said before, we became one. We _are_ one. And that means making sacrifices when sometimes you really don't want to." I almost got tears in my eyes when I said that last part. I paused. I wanted to say more, there was so much more that I had to say but I couldn't figure out how to say it.

"Abby." Daryl said and lifted my chin. "Can I talk now?" He raised his eyebrows. I didn't say anything just looked at him. He cleared his throat. "There ain't nothin' more important to me than you." He said the best words ever to me. I just looked up at him with my big eyes. "And I realized that even more than I did before last night when you left me." He let go of my chin. "And I kept those beers so I could do this." I gave him a curious look as he went over to the fridge and got out the remaining four cans. He opened the door and chucked them out. I gave him a shocked look as he walked back over to me. "I'm sorry." He said. "I'm an idiot." He sighed and shook his head. "All this is new to me. I never did this before with anyone and I never felt this way about nobody before."

I smiled. "That's cuz you were waiting for me." I giggled.

"Yeah, I was." He raised his eyebrows.

I became more serious again. "And it's okay. This is all new to me too. _I've_ never done this before, _I've_ never felt this way about anyone. But as I said before, we're perfect for each other." I smiled. We stared intensely into each other's eyes. Then, our lips met.

Daryl kissed me real hard, then he moved away and started kissing down my neck. I was panting like a dog again. "Please make love to me." I said all breathy. "Please make love to me, Daryl. I'm fine. I want to so bad. I need it." I was almost close to tears for some reason.

Just then, Daryl lifted me and carried me into our bedroom. He held for a minute while we kissed before slowly lowering both of us onto the bed. I reached down and started to unbuckle his belt. The anticipation was getting to me. It's been a while since we did this and I could feel it. It was killing me.

I pulled apart from him. "Hurry." I said. I quickly pulled my shirt off, then my bra and threw them aside. I kicked my shoes off and began sliding my sweatpants off. Daryl was doing the same thing. I threw them aside as well but I left my panties on because I like when he takes them off for me.

We were back in our original positions…sort of. Daryl looked down at me. "Come on." I said whispery. He then took my panties off and threw them behind him. I unintentionally smiled. He leaned down and began planting soft kisses down my body. A moan accidentally escaped. "Daryl." I breathed. He knows that means I'm ready.

He came back up and kissed my lips. I felt him slam into me and moaned loudly. Daryl began his usual rhythm, starting out slow and picking up speed. I was moaning really loud before I knew it.

It feels like forever that he was inside me. I missed this and needed it so bad. Daryl is my best medicine. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. He seemed to really enjoy it and it felt like he slowed down a bit. _Oh, maybe I should save that for after I'm done._ I moved my hands from his hair to his back. He got faster again. I thought about yesterday when he put his hands on my waist and pulled my shirt up a little. I liked that. I could tell I was close.

My breathing changed and I climaxed moaning loudly. It kept going as I saw stars, it felt like I was flying through outer space. Then, I began to come down. My breathing slowed and I relaxed. All of a sudden, I felt really tired. More like weak. Like this never happened before when we have had sex. It was almost like I really didn't want to do anything else for the rest of the day, just lay around. I was feeling really weird.

I felt Daryl's baby gravy inside me as he finished, then slowly pulled out of me and laid next to me on the bed. He was still panting. We were both quiet for a minute. Then, he kissed my cheek. "Ya okay?"

I hesitated, then slowly turned to look at him. "Yeah." I breathed. "I just…got like really tired for some reason." I made a weird face and let out a small laugh.

"Sorry." Daryl said. "I really got ya goin', didn't I?" He smirked.

"Yeah." I smiled, then kissed his cheek. I laid back and stared at the ceiling. I didn't think that was it though.

* * *

Nothing really went on the rest of that day. We ate some leftover rabbit stew that I'm guessing Daryl made yesterday. I was thankful he did that because I did not feel like cooking right now. I was still feeling weird. So, all I had to do was heat up our food. It tasted real good, unless I was just really hungry.

I went to bed early that night. I told Daryl he didn't have to come to bed then but he wanted to. I loved sleeping with Daryl. It felt so nice to cuddle with someone you love. I remember I always wanted that, and I thought I was never going to have it. I met the love of my life in this. I smiled.

I woke up at some point in the night, and I was really hot for some reason. I pushed my extra blanket off to the bottom of the bed. I only had it on me, I sleep with three blankets when I'm cold. Daryl only slept with two. I bet in the summer time, he only sleeps with a light sheet.

Anyway, Daryl and I were laying facing away from each other with our backs touching. Maybe that's why I was so hot. I always said that the heat radiates off of him. I almost laughed.

I rolled over and slung my arm around him. He was still asleep and didn't wake up, which I was thankful for. I planted a kiss on his back, then got comfortable again and eventually went back to sleep.

* * *

The next time I woke up, it was early morning…but it wasn't good. I had a really strange pain like behind my right ribs. A low groan accidentally escaped, and I slowly sat up breathing a little heavily.

I grabbed at where the pain was. Daryl was still sleeping next to me. I really didn't want to wake him up, then he would just be worried about me. I tried to be as quiet as possible but let out a low whimper by mistake. It was feeling really weird and hurt. I put my hand on Daryl's leg for comfort, it didn't matter that he was still sleeping. All it took was his touch.

I sort of stretched and the pain was slowly fading away. My breathing slowed down. Eventually, it was like the pain was never there. _Well, that was weird as hell._ I thought. I must have just pulled a muscle or something. I sighed heavily and laid back down trying to relax. I must have fallen back to sleep.

* * *

I was feeling much better the next time I got up. I made breakfast for Daryl and I. Now we were just sitting at the table eating together. I thought it was the perfect time to talk to him about our home situation.

"So, I wanted to talk to you about something." I said and took a sip of my coffee.

"Yeah, what's that?" Daryl replied.

I hesitated. I didn't speak again until Daryl looked at me. "We should really think about moving." I just said it.

He gave me a weird look. "What the hell are ya talkin' about?"

I almost laughed. "It's too small." I shook my head. "If we have kids, where are they even going to sleep?"

Daryl seemed to hesitate. "Well…" He said with a mouthful of food. "The couch pulls out into a bed, this table becomes a bed. That's two beds right there. We ain't havin' more than two kids."

"I agree with that." I said with raised eyebrows. "But you really want our kids sleeping in the living room?" I gave him an annoyed look.

"Yeah, why not?" He swallowed, then picked at his teeth. "That way they'll hate it and leave as soon as they're able to. And I can have you and my house all to myself again." There was a brief pause, then he smirked.

I gave him a look but still smiled. "Daryl Dixon." I shook my head. The things that he says sometimes. It's almost as if he's from another planet. _Planet Dixon._ I almost laughed out loud. "Still…we need a bigger house."

"I thank it'll be fine." He said. I gave him a look and was about to say something but he spoke first, "I'll ask around if anythang's available." He said. "How's that?"

I smiled warmly at him. "Thank you." I gave him a chaste kiss, then took my plate over to the sink. I thought about what he said about our kids living here and moving out and a giggle escaped. We didn't even have the kids yet. _I'll never understand how he thinks._ I smiled.

* * *

 **Hello! Hello! Hello! Please review! :)**


	38. Once Upon A Time

It's been a few weeks and nothing really important went on. Daryl and I spent all of our time together, occasionally I visited with my dad and Michonne. Everything was going well and I wasn't having anymore weird pains or health problems, which is good because I don't know what we would do if something were seriously wrong with me.

However, on this particular day, Daryl informed me about something that I was a little worried about. He told me that he was going on a run and didn't know when he would be back. I didn't like it because I worry enough as it is when he goes out, but he said he would be gone for a while. I was worried.

"I could go with you, you know?" I said. I didn't see the point in him going by himself. "It might even be fun."

"Nah. I want ya to stay here. Yer still recoverin'." He said.

I gave him a stupid look. "Daryl, that was three weeks ago. I'm fine."

"Still though, I want to make sure yer okay. And ya don't gotta go." He shook his head.

"Okay." I nodded. "I still don't see why though." I wasn't mad but I was feeling something close to that.

"Everythang will be fine." Daryl tried to reassure me. I didn't believe that. Of course I trusted Daryl. He can handle himself but…anything could happen out there. Anything.

I sighed heavily. "I know but you know I'm still going to worry no matter what." I said softly. "Look what happened to me." I gave him a look. "That could have happened to anyone. And I'm lucky my dad was there to help me, otherwise I don't even know what could have happened." I crossed my arms in front of me. Daryl sighed. I walked closer to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, then our lips met. We gave each other a long, slow kiss. Then rested our foreheads on each other's once we pulled apart. "Just be careful." I said and put my hand on his cheek. "Please."

"You know I will be." He said. "And I'll be back before ya know it."

"And how soon is that?"

"I told you I don't know—

"Daryl, I don't accept that." I cut him off. "Please just give me an estimate. Just to make me feel better. Please."

He sighed. "Maybe like as long as you were gone." He nodded. "Okay?"

I relaxed a little inside. But just a little! That makes me feel a little bit better. At least it will only be like three or four days. Still…anything could happen. "Okay." I forced a small smile.

Daryl planted a soft kiss on my forehead, then turned to leave. He looked back at me before walking out the door. I watched him leave out the window. I watched him until I couldn't see him anymore.

I sighed and moved away from the window. _What to do now?_ I have the house to myself for a few days. Has this happened yet? I don't think it has. It's weird, it's like I didn't know what to do. It was still early so I decided to have a cup of coffee and maybe read a little.

The book I was reading is called Oracle by H.R. Lutz. I was really getting into it when I heard laughter outside. I got annoyed but ignored it and went back to the story. However, I heard footsteps and then a knock at the door. My shoulders slumped and I put the book down.

I opened the door and Tess and Carrie were standing there. I gave them a shocked look because they never came over here before. "Hey!" They said and came in without me inviting them.

"Hey." I said dully.

"We haven't seen you in a while." Carrie said.

"Yeah, well…I've been busy." I said.

Tess laughed. "Doing what? With your man?" She giggled.

"Actually yes." I said seriously. "We do enjoy each other's company." I nodded. "I love spending time with my man."

"Okay, so where is he?" She asked again.

"He just left. On a run." I scratched behind my ear. I really wish they weren't here right now. I hope they don't stay long.

"Well, anyway," Tess started, there's a little thing at Paige's house tonight. She told us not to tell you but we thought it would be really funny if you came." She widened her eyes and laughed.

I just stared at them for a moment. "Why?" I gave them a look.

"Because she hates you and you always put her in her place." Tess said, then laughed. "We all like you way better."

"Yeah." Carrie said. "You should come. It won't be fun without you. That time you were gone, our parties were lame as hell."

I was a little flattered but still annoyed. "Yeah, I don't think so." I shook my head. "You can count me out."

"What? Why?" Tess said. Carrie just gave me a serious look.

"Because why would I?" I gave them a stupid look and cocked an eyebrow. "Paige is a bitch and I don't get a thrill out of "putting her in her place." I just do it because it needs to be done. And Bridget's fake and so _is_ Brittany yet she calls her out for being fake. She's just as fake." I put my arms out. "I don't need to be around people like that."

We were quiet for a minute. "She's right." Carrie said. "I sometimes even wonder about Dana."

"I know!" Tess said and seemed to get excited. "She acts so nice but I think deep down she's really self-centered." She nodded.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. _Yeah, I didn't say that stuff so that we can sit here and talk about them. I don't care about gossip. I really wish they would leave! I have better things to do._ "Yeah, well, I was just about to—

"Oh, I have a great idea!" Tess yelled cutting me off. "We should all totally flake on Paige's party and go to someone else's!" She laughed along with Carrie.

"We could do it at my house." Carrie said.

"I'm so in!" Tess said. "I'll talk to everyone else and see if they want to." She turned towards me grinning from ear to ear. "Abby, are you in?"

"No." I answered immediately. As much as I can't stand Paige, I would never do that to someone. That's just shitty and makes you just as bad as them. _Talk about being fake._

Tess's grin faded. "Why?" She asked almost like I was the stupid one.

I took a deep breath before answering. "Because I just don't want to." I shook my head. "I don't need an excuse to not go to a party. And besides," I cleared my throat, "all we do is drink and I can't anymore."

"You can't drink anymore?" Carrie asked me. "How come?"

I hesitated. "…I quit." I shrugged.

They were both looking at me. "Seriously?" Tess said.

"Yeah, _seriously_." I almost snapped. "I can't be doing that shit my whole life."

"So, you're never gonna drink again?" Tess said in disbelief.

"Probably not." I took a sip of my coffee.

"Well, that's…lame." She said.

I gave her a stupid look. I almost said something back but I decided not to. I want them to leave not sit here and have an argument with them. "Yeah, cool." I said and cleared my throat. "Anyway, I was about to get in the shower when you guys knocked at the door, so I guess I'll see you around." I said basically kicking them out.

"Oh, okay." Tess said. They both got up and headed towards the door. "I'll miss drunk Abby." She said and laughed. I rolled my eyes.

Carrie walked out after Tess but stopped and turned to me. "Hey, Abby?" I looked at her. "I think it's cool that you quit drinking." She gave me small smile. I returned it and nodded. I watched them leave, then closed and locked the door.

I sighed and sat down on the couch. _Well, what now?_ I glanced towards the clock, it was just passed ten. I sighed heavily again. It's going to be a long day.

* * *

I wasn't really hungry when dinner time rolled around so I decided not to make anything. It's just me anyway. So, what I did that evening is watched movies. Yup, I sat on the couch, ate chips and watched movies. It was actually kind of nice. Daryl doesn't like movies that much so I really didn't get to do this. However, it would be nice to have someone else to watch them with.

I stayed up pretty late that night and didn't go to bed until like three in the morning. I always did have trouble sleeping. Daryl made things better for me once we started dating. But it sucked sleeping without him.

Everything was okay for the most part. I probably fell asleep around 3:30. That's actually very quick for me. Usually I would lay awake for hours trying to get to sleep. I guess I was tired.

I woke up to a horrible pain behind my right ribs just like the other day except this one was way worse. I sat up groaning in pain and holding that spot. _Oh, it hurts so bad._ I thought. _What is this?_ "Ah." I said out loud. I gritted my teeth in pain and tried stretching like I did that one night to try and stop it. It wasn't working this time. I didn't know what to do and I was getting really scared. I was beginning to sweat and feel sick to my stomach.

Just then, I realized how dry my throat was so I grabbed the water bottle off of the end table and started drinking. I noticed that the pain was starting to subside the more water I drank. _Okay, this is really weird!_ I thought. I drank that bottle down though. Before long, the pain was gone altogether.

I took some deep breaths and waited just to make sure it wasn't going to come back. After a few minutes, it didn't so I figured I was good. _Still super weird though. I wonder what the hell that is?_

I shook it off and got up because it was light outside. I took a nice hot shower, then went to make something quick for breakfast. I was unusually hungry but I figured it was just because I didn't eat dinner last night.

I was in the mood for pancakes but I didn't want to make all that when it was just me so I had some eggs. Then, another weird thing happened. The smell of the eggs frying made me sick to my stomach. However, I still ate them because I didn't want to waste them.

After I ate and cleaned up, I was back to square one like yesterday trying to think of what to do. I spotted my book where I left it yesterday and read another chapter. However, I stopped after that because the silence was really beginning to get to me.

I sighed putting the book aside and laying down on the couch. _Man, my life sure was boring before Daryl and I were together. What the hell did I even do before that? Drink?_ I suddenly got a bad urge after I thought that. _No, you cannot drink! You made a promise!_ I had to shake the thought. Before now, I hadn't had any urges to drink at all. It's probably because of me being alone. I need to think of something to do and fast.

Maybe I could go see my dad and Michonne. Maybe I'll take Judith to the park or something. I suddenly had a great idea! I should bring my sister over here! She can stay at least a day and keep me company and that will give my dad and Michonne some alone time. "Ew." I said out loud. I let out a small laugh. It's still a great idea though.

* * *

"Hi, daddy." I smiled sweetly when he opened the door for me.

"Hi, baby." He smiled back and we hugged. I kissed his cheek.

"Daryl went out and said he wouldn't be back for a few days, so I started to get lonely." I said.

"You don't need an excuse to come over." He said motioning me inside. "You're welcome here anytime."

I saw my sister on the floor doing a puzzle or something. It reminded me of that time when Carl and I got taken back to that hospital and Daryl and I made that puzzle after we killed everyone. I remembered how we built the whole thing and there was one piece missing. That seems so long ago now. I mean…it kind of was. Judy was just a baby then. She looked up when she saw me. "Abby!" Judith jumped up and hugged my waist.

"Hi, sis." I patted her head and smiled. She had gotten taller. I bet she gets taller than me at some point, as we all know I was not blessed with the tall gene. The thought annoyed me. "Hi." I said to Michonne and we hugged. She gave me a big smile.

Judith went back to her puzzle, and I sat at the table with my dad and Michonne. "Imma steal some of your coffee." I said pouring myself a cup with a smirk.

"Go ahead and take as much as you want, kid." My dad said.

I looked up at him and he gave me a look. "Jeez, you haven't called me that since…" I trailed off remembering our lives before the turn. Clearing my throat, I shook that thought. I don't want to bring that up. "For a long time." I said quickly, then sipped my coffee.

There was a brief pause. "So, what were you guys doing before I came in?" I smiled.

"What do you think we were doing?" Michonne gave me a bored look. I laughed.

"Damn, you guys gotta spice things up." I teased. Then, I grinned at them and raised my eyebrows. " _We_ have have fun all the time. Daryl and I—

"Stop." My dad said and waved his hands at me. "Abby, please."

Michonne and I laughed pretty hard. "What's so funny?" Judith was suddenly there.

I turned to her. "You won't know for a long time." I said and sighed.

"For a _long_ time." My dad said with raised eyebrows. The three of us laughed but Judith kind of stomped away.

I looked at her, then back at my dad and Michonne. "So, I was thinking…" I started. "Since Daryl is going to be gone for a few days and it's just me there, I was thinking maybe Judith could stay with me for a night." I shrugged. "Take her off your hands for a day. You know, give you two some _alone_ time." I stretched out the word alone and smiled.

My dad and Michonne shared a look. "That's a great idea." Michonne said and smiled at me. I returned her look.

"Yeah?" I said, then looked at my dad.

"Ain't gonna catch me arguing." He said. "And it's about time you spent some time with your sister anyway."

"Well." I said pretending to be offended and put a hand up. Then, I turned around to face my sister's door. "Hey, Judith!" I called.

"Yeah?" She said from in her room.

"You wanna have a sleep over at my house tonight?" I turned back around in my seat.

She didn't respond right away, but I heard a thud and then little feet running. "Really?" She said excitedly next to me.

"Yeah." I gave her a stupid look. "We'll have a great time." I nodded. "Watch some movies, eat some stale popcorn. Maybe I'll take you to the park tomorrow."

"Yeah." She jumped up and down like she just won the lottery.

"Well, go pack a bag with comfy night clothes and your toothbrush and stuff." I said. "And bring any games if you want because we ain't got that shit." I let out a small laugh.

"Okay!" She said and ran to her room.

I looked back at my dad and Michonne and raised an eyebrow. "You believe this kid?" They both laughed.

* * *

I'm so excited!" Judith said when we were leaving.

"Yeah, yeah. We didn't even get there yet." I told her.

"You two have fun." My dad said.

I turned around and gave him a look. I decided to tease him some more. "Yeah, you guys too." I raised my eyebrows and laughed.

"Stop it." Michonne said but laughed. She mouthed the words, "thank you" to me.

"You're welcome." I said back lowly and gave her a cool look. _Aren't I just the best?_

"Alright, Judith." My dad said and bent down to her level. "You be good for Abby now. If she tells us you were bad, you're gonna be in big trouble."

I waved my dad off. "How much trouble could she possibly get in?" I teased some more. My dad and Michonne shared at look and laughed. _Wonder what that's about?_

"Alright, give daddy a kiss." He said to my sister. Judith gave my dad and Michonne kisses.

I guided Judith out the door before she had second thoughts. I don't think she's ever been to a sleep over before. "I'll bring her back some time tomorrow." I nodded.

"Okay." My dad said.

"See you then." I waved. "Come on, kid." I put my hand on her back and guided her down the ramp. "Are you excited for some fun?" I looked down at her.

"Yeah!" She jumped. I smiled. Dealing with her will give me some practice. Looking after her before probably made me a damn expert.

* * *

Judith and I played a few games until it got dark out. I beat her every time, which made her mad. I could have just let her win, but what would that do if I let her think that she could just always win? That's not how life works. In fact, you lose more times than you win, especially now.

"Okay." I said and stretched. "How about we start watching some movies instead of games?" I asked my sister. It was actually more of a statement than a question. I was done playing games. "I'll make some popcorn."

"Fine with me." Judith stood up and sat on the couch. "You never let me win anyways." She pouted.

I smirked at her. "Well, that wouldn't really be winning now, would it?" I opened a bag of popcorn and put it in the microwave, then leaned against the counter. "You think if you were playing with one of your friends that they would let you win?"

"No." She looked at me. "But you're an adult. You're a'posed to let me win."

I scoffed. "Who taught you that? Dad?" I let out a small laugh. "If you want to be treated like a big kid, then ya gotta act like one too." I got a large bowl out for the popcorn. "And by the way, it's _supposed_ to not 'aposed to."

Judith looked like she was thinking for a moment, then she said, "what movie are we watching?"

The popcorn was done so I took that out and poured it into a bowl before answering. "Well, I figured we could watch Alice In Wonderland." I said shoving a few pieces of popcorn in my mouth. "It's my favorite Disney movie."

"I wanna watch Little Mermaid." My sister complained.

"We'll watch that after." I said bringing the bowl over to her. "Besides, you've seen that like a hundred times already. Don't you want to watch a new movie?" I starting setting up the DVD player and played the movie.

"Okay." Judith agreed. "Can we make ice cream again?" She suddenly got excited.

"Sure, kid." I said sitting down next to her. "Whatever you want." I put a blanket over us and put my arm around my sister. "Let's do that after this though."

Judith talked and asked questions through the whole movie, but I think she liked it a lot. I laughed a lot during the tea party scene. I thought it was cute and reminded me of when I watched this movie with my dad. It's funny because I was probably about her age the first time I watched this. I was so in love with this movie back then. I remember I would recite some of the lines when we were doing stuff. And one time during dinner, when we had company over. I said, "fed your head" and I actually put food on my head. My mom tried to stop me but it was too late. We all just laughed, especially my dad. I brought it up one time when I was older and he said it was one of the most precious things he's ever seen. I smiled at that memory and wiped away a stray tear.

"Abby?" Judith brought me out of my reverie. "Are you sad?"

"No, why would you ask that?" I gave her a weird look.

"You're crying." She said seriously.

"Oh, don't worry about me. I'm fine." I sighed with a smile. "I was just thinking about something." I tapped her nose. "They're happy tears."

* * *

Judith and I finished Alice In Wonderland, then made ice cream like I promised. She was so happy to eat it. Then, we watched The Little Mermaid like she wanted to. I really liked this time that I was spending with my sister. Carl and I were super close once upon time ago and I'm glad I'm getting to have that time with my sister. It almost kind of sucks that were so far apart in age. But I guess that's good in other ways. For instance, I could help her out with any problems she will have. I wanted to try and be the best big sister for her. She already lost more than anyone should at her age.

My sister seemed to get tired after the second movie, so I decided it was time for bed. I carried her into my room and laid her in bed, then got in next to her. "Abby?" Judith said innocently.

"Yes, baby?" I turned to her.

"Can you tell me a story?"

I gave her a disappointed look. I'm good at telling personal stories but not so good at making them up on the spot. "I don't know any." I shook my head. "Sorry, kid."

"Please just make something up." She whined.

I sighed. "Okay...Once upon a time, there was girl that couldn't make up stories and her little sister, that should be asleep already, wants her to tell her one."

Judith giggled loudly. "No! Do better!" She still giggled. "I have a better idea!" She got a little excited. "Can you sing to me instead?"

I stopped and just thought for a minute. I really didn't want to but I was losing here. I had to give her something. And then, I thought of the perfect song. "You can't always get what you want." I tapped her nose. She giggled. "You can't always get what you want. But if you try sometime you find you get what you need." Judith continued to giggle. "Happy?" I raised my eyebrows and smiled. She didn't say anything and her laughter slowly died down. I reached to turn the lamp off.

"Wait." My sister stopped me. "You don't have a night light?" It was more of a statement than a question.

I smirked at her. "No, because we're adults and we don't get scared of the dark anymore." _Especially when I'm with Daryl._ I thought.

"But…but…how do you just stop being afraid?" She asked innocently.

I gave her a look and didn't respond immediately. "It just happens. You won't be afraid one day."

"No way." She shook her head. "There's no way I will ever stop being afraid of the dark. Ever!"

I smiled at her. "Yes, you will." I assured her. "I know because I thought the same thing." I turned the lamp off then and got comfortable.

"Abby, I'm scared." She said.

"You're fine. I'm right here." I tried to calm her.

"Will you put your arm around me?" She said. I pulled her close to me and had my arm around her.

"It's okay. You're fine." I nodded. "Just think about nice things and you'll be asleep before you know it."

It wasn't long before I heard her light breathing and knew she was asleep. I thought I did pretty good there. I smiled. I wondered what my mom would think of me now? We weren't really that close. Would she be proud of me? Or would she still treat me the same? I sighed. I just didn't know.


	39. Oblivious

I sat up in bed at 6:30 in the morning and my first thought was, _I'm going to throw up._ I hurried out of my bed being quiet and careful not to wake up Judith and headed into the bathroom. I leaned over the toilet breathing heavily and in pain and gagged. I was feeling so sick out of nowhere. I started to sweat and felt weak. _Please just throw up already._ I knew I would feel better if I did.

It was taking too long so I sat on the floor in front of the toilet and forced myself to gag. Finally, I threw up. A lot. Literally everything I ate yesterday was right there. All that junk; chips and popcorn and shit. It's like it never digested, just sat in my stomach all night.

I sat back breathing heavily and trying to calm down. I still felt weak but I wasn't sick to my stomach anymore. I knew I would feel better after throwing up. That was so weird though. Why did I get sick all of a sudden? And what's with that weird, random pain I keep getting behind my right ribs? I sighed. My whole life has been a mystery diagnose.

I cleaned up a little, flushed the vomit away and then brushed my teeth because I had the grossest taste in my mouth after throwing all that up. After that, I went back in to bed to lay down for a while. Judith was still asleep. Good. I don't need her telling my dad and Michonne that I got sick. Although, I didn't really feel like doing much today after getting sick. Maybe I can convince her to just stay inside today. Hopefully, she will understand and not care too much about going to the park. Maybe she even forgot about it.

I stayed in bed until eight, then got up to take a shower. It was very cold in the trailer so I turned the heat up, then got in the shower. The hot water felt amazing. I ended up staying in there longer than I usually do. I guess I lost track of time pretending I was in a sauna or something.

When I was done, I went in my bedroom to grab some clothes. I figured I would get dressed in the other room so I wouldn't disturb my sister. However, when I walked in there she was gone. I blinked a few times. "Judith?" I called. No answer. "What the hell?" I said out loud. Is she playing games?

I peeked in the other room but she wasn't in there. "Judith?" I said again. "Where are you? You better not be messing around, kid, and jump out at me or something because I ain't in the mood." It was completely silent. I became worried. She must have left but where did she go? Maybe she went down to one of the bathrooms. _Yeah._ I nodded. That better be all that it is. She should have let me know first. _Maybe something happened._

My breathing quickened and I started getting dressed very fast. _If something happens to her, my dad and Michonne will never forgive me._ I gulped. _I already messed up with one sibling, that can't happen again!_

Once I was completely dressed, I headed towards the door to go look for her. I had no idea where to even look. However, as soon as I opened the door, she was standing there. "Judith." I breathed out. "What the hell? Where did you go?"

"I went to get a paper to see what events were happening this weekend." She said innocently. "See." She held the paper up.

I immediately began to calm down but was still mad at her for leaving without telling me. I felt a cold wind that was worse because I had wet hair. "Come on inside." I pulled her in and closed the door. "Judith Ann Grimes." I crouched down to her level and gave her a serious look. "Don't you ever go anywhere without telling me, dad or Michonne before leaving. Do you understand me?"

She gave me a look and hesitated. "…but mommy and daddy let me get the paper all the time."

I breathed out sharply. "Well, I didn't know that, I don't live there anymore." I said and stood up. "And you should at least have told me first." I wondered if she was lying about going to get the papers every week. She wasn't allowed to go anywhere by herself when I still lived at home. But as I said to her, I don't live there anymore. I looked down at her. She looked a little upset. Maybe guilty or embarrassed. I sighed and patted her head. "I'm not mad you, kiddo. You just...you scared me." I nodded. "So, don't do that again, okay?" I spoke softer. She just nodded. I paused for a minute. "Want some breakfast?" I asked her. She nodded again. I felt kind of bad for yelling at her. I mean…I wanted this to be a fun time for her. Not just her, for both of us. Then, I had an idea. "How about we make pancakes? I'll let you help." I smiled.

She seemed to perk up. "Really? Mommy never let's me!" She grinned happily.

 _Is it too late to take that back?_ I thought. "There's probably a reason for that." I said wide-eyed. She giggled.

* * *

I mixed together the ingredients, then put the batter on the pan and I let Judith flip them when they were ready. She surprisingly didn't do too bad. I mean…she made a mess but what do you expect from a five year old? You got to let them get messy every once in a while. Messes can get cleaned up but memories last a lifetime. I'm a very corny person, and I don't care. I own it.

"Did you have enough?" I asked my sister after we were done eating.

"Yeah." She put her hand over her stomach. I let out a small laugh. Looking around at the mess, I sighed. I really didn't feel like doing this right now.

"So, what do you wanna do now?" I asked her.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

My shoulders slumped. "You don't know?" I repeated her words. I had to think of something before she suggested we go to the park. "Well…how about I fix your hair for you? I could give you some cute pigtails?" I smiled and ran my hand through her hair.

"I want don't want pigtails." She crossed her arms in front of her. "It'll make me look like a baby."

 _Oh yeah. I forgot she's still trying to be a big kid._ "Okay. Well, what about pulled back in the center? That'll look cute. I even have a bow that I've been meaning to give you."

She looked like she was thinking. "Okay. But if it looks too babyish, I'm gonna rip it out."

I raised my eyebrows and put my hands up. "Okay."

* * *

I was brushing my sister's hair out, it had very few knots in it. Her hair was straight so it didn't take long to fix it. My curly hair, on the other hand, took a little more effort. That's why I keep it short. I hate having long hair. It's even too long right now. I will have to get Melanie to cut it one day.

"Okay." I said. I grabbed her hair on the sides and pulled it back, then put the ponytail in. "That was easy." I smiled. "What do ya think?" I handed her a small mirror.

She looked at it, then her face lit up. "I like it a lot." She grinned from ear to ear.

"You like it?" I smirked. She moved the mirror from in front of her face and nodded rapidly. "Good. I think it looks really nice."

There was a brief pause. Judith continued to look at herself in the mirror and smiled. "Wait a minute." She said slowly and put the mirror down. "What happened to you taking me to the playground?" She put her hands on her hips.

 _Damnit. She's onto me._ I cleared my throat. "Well, actually…I thought maybe we could just stay inside today. You know, since it's so cold?"

"But it's cold everyday now." Judith smirked. "It won't be nice for a long time."

"Yeah, I know. Don't remind me." I rolled my eyes. She was giving me a look. I better just be honest with her. I sighed. "Look," I bent down to her level, "the truth is…I'm really not feeling too great."

"You're sick?" She said. "You mean like a cold sick?"

"No." I shook my head. "Like sick to my stomach. I already threw up this morning." Then I could have kicked myself. _Why did you tell her that?_ I didn't want her to worry. "But I'm okay. I _will_ be okay." I nodded and stood up straight.

"Hmm." Judith said with a finger up to her chin like she was thinking. I cocked an eyebrow at her. "Maybe you're pregnant." She blurted out and smiled. I laughed.

"There's no way that's what this is, Judith." I put my hand over my stomach. "I was like actually sick."

"Women get sick when they're pregnant." Judith said matter of factly.

I was almost annoyed. "Yeah, I know. But this was different." I gave her a weird look just then. "And how do you even know that?"

"I have my resources." She smirked and crossed her arms in front of her. I gave her a stupid look. I have no idea what she means by that. "But…I decided that I want to go home now so that you can rest."

I was a little surprised and shook my head at her. "No, sweetie, it's fine. You don't have to do that. I'll be fine." I nodded.

"Nope." She grinned. "I want to. You just rest up and take care of my little niece or nephew." She patted my stomach. I scowled down at her, which made her giggle.

I continued to stare at her for a moment. "Alright." I finally said. "Go get your stuff."

* * *

I walked my sister home while she skipped beside me. I was a little slow, kind of tired. She ran up the ramp and opened the door without knocking. "Hi, daddy! Hi, mommy!" I heard her say inside.

"You home already?" I heard my dad say, then heard a loud smooch noise.

"Yeah, I wanted to cuz Abby's sick." She said just as I walked in. I had an annoyed look on my face. _Of course she would tell them._

"What do you mean she's sick?" My dad asked her. Then, he looked at me as I walked in.

"I'm fine." I said and rolled my eyes. My dad came over to me and felt my forehead anyway. "Dad."

"You do feel a little warm." He said. "Why don't you stay here until Daryl gets back?" He nodded.

I gave him a look. _That's the last thing I wanted. Now that I'm on my own, I would never want to move back home._ "No, it's okay. It is NOT that serious." I waved them off. "I am fine. I promise. I probably just ate something that didn't agree with me."

"I told her she's pregnant." Judith said and put her arms out.

My dad and Michonne laughed. However, I became even more annoyed. "Wouldn't that be somethin'?" Michonne said.

"Sure would." My dad said. "You said you were trying." He shrugged.

"I'm not pregnant." I said quickly and raised my voice a little. I put my hands up to my face for a second. _Jeez, why was I so moody?_ "I'm not pregnant." I said softer and sighed. "Look, can we please just drop this?"

"Yeah, sorry, baby." My dad said more serious. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well." I was about say that I was fine but he spoke first. "Even though you said it wasn't serious, if it happens again I want you to go see the doctor, okay?" He nodded and gave me a serious look.

I pursed my lips before answering. "Yeah, sure, dad." I said. He rubbed my arm. "Anyway…" I started. I cleared my throat and walked closer to where Michonne was so she could hear me too. "Sorry." I whispered to both of them and leaned against the counter. "I didn't mean to cut it short. It was her idea to come home."

"It's alright, honey." Michonne said and nodded. "Really."

I nodded back, then sighed. There was a brief pause. "So…is Judith allowed to go up to the clubhouse by herself to find out about events?"

They shared a look. "…we've started to let her do that, yeah." My dad said and nodded. "Why?"

I hesitated. "…I don't want to get her in trouble." I waved. "It's no big deal."

"What happened?" My dad pressed.

I stared at him. _I guess you have to tell them now, dumbass._ I cleared my throat. "Well, cuz I got out of the shower and she was just gone. I almost had a panic attack." I said. My dad chuckled. "But it's okay. I already took care of it and told her to make sure she tells someone when she goes somewhere."

My dad nodded. "Good job." Those two little words made me want to smile. There was a brief pause after that. I started to feel really tired and my stomach was feeling sick again.

"Yeah…so…I'm gonna go home now." I stood up straight. "I got a big mess to clean up. I made pancakes for breakfast and let Judith flip them."

They both laughed. "Good luck." Michonne said and sipped her coffee.

"Yeah." I started backing up. I didn't want to seem suspicious. "So, I'll see you guys later." I walked out the door quickly. I started walking faster, then ran once my feet hit the road.

I ran to about three houses down and puked into a bush. "Ew." I said and grimaced. I wiped my mouth on my sleeve and steadied my breathing.

"What the fuck?" I heard someone say. My eyes widened and I turned around to see a man standing there. "Are you okay?"

I hesitated. "…yeah, I'm fine." I said slowly. "Thanks for asking." I began walking after that. I hurried to get home.

Once I was there, I closed and locked the door, then sighed. "What a frickin' day." I, then, noticed the mess I had to clean up. "Ugh." I practically collapsed onto the couch. "I really don't feel like doing this right now."

* * *

I stayed in and relaxed for the rest of the day once I got over myself and forced myself to clean up the mess that Judith and I made this morning. The silence was beginning to bother me so I put a movie on in the background while I cleaned up. I wasn't really hungry that evening, so I opted to not make dinner for myself again. However, I was craving black olives for some strange reason. So, I opened a can and ate the whole thing while watching a movie.

I was extra tired by the time I decided to go to bed. Oh well. At least I don't feel sick anymore. I got ready, brushed my teeth, changed my clothes, then hopped into bed. I snuggled up but before I fell asleep, I had a thought. "I know you can't hear me," I said out loud, "but goodnight, Daryl. Wherever you are, my love, I hope you're safe." I closed my eyes. _He better be safe._

* * *

I was sitting at the table feeling pretty shitty, I was already on my second cup of coffee. I fell asleep pretty quickly. However, I did not sleep good that night. My bladder woke me up several times through the night to go pee. I was pretty annoyed by the third time it happened.

I just thought it was really weird because I never had to get up that many times to go to the bathroom before. I mean…unless I was sick or something. The thought scared me. Maybe I am sick? I don't want to go back to the doctor though. I don't want to be known as that person who runs to the doctor every time something is bothering them. At least not unless it's serious. I didn't think this was serious.

I sighed and plopped down on the couch. I wonder where Daryl is right now and what he's doing. I hope he comes home soon. I miss him. The way he puts his hands on my waist and slaps my bottom. I bit my lip and smiled. He does this weird, little thing with his lips when he's eating sometimes that I find adorable. I love watching him do things when he doesn't notice. I like even more when he _does_ notice. A giggle escaped.

Time passed as I just sat there on the couch daydreaming. I can't wait until he gets home. I'm gonna attack him and push him down onto the bed. I tilted my head to one side. Wonder when he's going go down on me again? I grinned.

I was brought out of my thoughts by a knock at the door, I jumped and gasped. _Jeez, calm down, Abigail._ I told myself. Glancing out the window, I saw that it was one of the neighbors. His name is AJ. He was always a nice guy, but he also always kept to himself so I was curious as to what he wanted.

I slowly answered the door. "Hi." I said first.

"Hey, Abby." AJ said. "Sorry to bother you but I wanted to ask you something." He paused. "Our cat had kittens again and we don't want to keep all of them so I was wondering if you'd maybe want one?"

My face lit up. _I love kitties so much! He had me at kittens._ "Yes, definitely!" I said.

"Do you seriously want one?" He smiled. "Because that would be great."

"Yes, I really do. You don't know how happy you just made me." I grinned like the Cheshire cat and had to keep from jumping up and down.

"Alright." AJ laughed. "You wanna come look at them?"

"Yeah." I smiled. I stepped outside and closed the door behind me, then followed AJ over to his house.

"Abby's gonna take one." AJ said to his wife.

"Oh great." She smiled.

"Hi, Linda." I smiled and waved. "How are you?"

"I'm good." Linda said. "Even better now that you're taking one of these babies."

"Oh, you know I definitely would." I giggled.

"They're right here." AJ pointed to the cage on the counter. "You can have whichever one you want. Hell, take 'em all." He laughed.

I laughed too. "No, I think Daryl would kill me." I laughed again. I stared at the little kitties in the cage, they were all meowing. I counted five of them. "Hi, babies." I said sweetly. My eyes widened as I noticed the orange one in the back. "Is the orange one a boy?" I asked immediately.

"Uh…I think." AJ said. "Let me just check to make sure." He reached in to get it out. "I know three of them are girls and two are boys." He said. My shoulders slumped, I bet it's not a boy. The odds are against me. "Yup." AJ said to my surprise. "He's a boy."

"Yes!" I was so excited. I always wanted a male orange cat. "I'll take him." I smiled and AJ handed him to me. "Hi, little guy." He rubbed his nose on mine. "Aw, you're so sweet." I smiled at both AJ and Linda.

"Would you happen to know of anyone else that would want one?" Linda asked me.

"Actually, yes." I said. "You should ask my dad." I giggled. "I'm sure Judith would _love_ to have a pet. Plus, Michonne loves cats. My dad would cave even if he didn't want one." I smiled. They both laughed.

"Great." Linda said. "We'll have to go see him this evening." She nodded at her husband. AJ nodded back.

I thought for a minute. "You guys should try Glenn and Maggie too. And while you're at it, Carol and Mark might take one." I shrugged.

"Okay." AJ nodded. "Cool. Thanks, Abby."

"No, _thank you."_ I said and smiled. They both smiled back.

* * *

I took my new friend home and got him settled. AJ even gave me an old litter box that they had and some cat food. I was very thankful. I was now laying on the couch playing with him. "I'm naming you Ponyboy." I giggled. _Wait until Daryl sees this. He's in for a surprise._

Just then, the cat stepped on my breast and it hurt worse than it probably should have. I cringed a little. That just reminded me. When I was in the shower yesterday morning, the hot water kind of bothered my breasts. They have been sensitive lately.

I got Ponyboy some food and water, then figured I might as well eat something. I rummaged through the cabinets and my eyes landed on a jar of peanut butter. I smiled. That sounds great!

I opened the jar and dug in. It tasted extra good to me for some reason. Maybe I was just hungry. I didn't eat dinner two nights in a row. I nodded. That had to be it.

I giggled because I remembered that my mom liked peanut butter. I must take after her. I smiled. She used to make peanut butter sandwiches all the time. I remembered I would find them wrapped in plastic sitting places like the counter or kitchen table so she could eat them later. I laughed again. That was so weird. Yeah, she really liked peanut butter. Used to go through jars of it. I smirked. Especially when she was pregnant.

I was about to put a spoonful in my mouth when I realized what I just thought. My eyes widened. I stopped and dropped the spoon back into the jar. My mouth was still hanging open. _I take after her so…_

I sat there at the table for a long time just thinking. Maybe what Judith, my dad and Michonne said was true. Maybe they're right. My throat felt super dry all of a sudden and it felt like I was punched in the stomach.

I shook my head halting all those thoughts. Before I jump to anymore conclusions, I'm going to name all of my symptoms. I counted on my fingers:

 _First there was the throwing up. No, that weird pain was first. But that can't have anything to do with me being pregnant? That just wouldn't make sense. The vomiting could or could not have anything to do with it either._ That doesn't help. I shook my head again. _Okay, what about how much I've been peeing? That has to be something. Okay, one point for baby. Next, there's me being tired more but that could have been because I didn't sleep well last night. Was I tired yesterday? I couldn't remember. Well, that's another maybe. The only other things were me craving the olives and peanut butter. Oh, and there's also my sensitive breasts. That's two more points._

I sighed just then. _What am I doing? If I'm really pregnant, there's only one sure way to find out._ However, if I really am pregnant this time, how could I be so stupid? The signs were all there. How could I be so oblivious to them?

I stopped everything I was doing and went into the bathroom. I searched in the medicine cabinet for that pregnancy test I put all those weeks ago. It wasn't in there. I began to feel nervous and anxious.

I turned to the drawer and dug around inside. _Where is it?_ I was almost panting. Finally, I found it. I picked it up and stared at it for a moment. I honestly don't think that I am…but I had to make sure.

I quickly opened the box and looked at the stick. This one was different from the others that I took. If there's two lines it's positive, if there's one it's negative. I nodded, then got to it.

 _Okay._ I told myself. _I'm not going to get upset if I'm not and I'm not going to get excited either. Just stay calm and wait patiently._

About three minutes later, I looked down at the stick. Two lines appeared. My eyes grew wide and I put my hand over my mouth. Then…I smiled.

* * *

 **I bet you're smiling right now! :p**


	40. With Good News Comes Bad News

_Oh my God! I'm pregnant? Is it really true?_ I was so excited that I didn't even know what to do. _I need to tell Daryl. But he's still not home._ I was upset that he wasn't here with me now. _Oh well. He will be super excited when I tell him._ I was all smiles.

I just wanted to go tell everyone. I hesitated. _Should I tell my dad and Michonne?_ I thought about it. _No. No, Daryl should be the first to know._ I nodded. Maybe I should go see the doctor though. Just to make sure it's for certain before I get myself and Daryl all excited.

I stood there for a minute thinking. "Oh, screw it! I have no idea when Daryl is coming home. I'm going to see the doctor!" I stopped. "Why am I talking to myself? Why am I still talking to myself? Oh, who cares?" I shouted. I quickly slipped on my boots and my coat and headed out. I left the door unlocked in case Daryl would happen to get back while I'm gone. I smiled and practically skipped down the street.

* * *

"Well, you're definitely pregnant." Dr. Cohen said to me while looking at the screen. I was laying on the table, and I smiled wildly and let out a small laugh. He looked back at me from the screen and smiled too. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." I said and grinned. "How far along would you say?" I asked him.

"Well…from the looks of it, I'd say you're about a month." He said pushing his glasses up.

I gave him a shocked look. "A month? Really?" I was surprised that I was even that far already. I looked down at my flat stomach. "When will I start to show?"

"Well, every woman is different." Dr. Cohen said. "This is your first, right?" He looked at me. I nodded and kind of laughed a little. "For a first time, you could show as early as twelve weeks."

 _Twelve weeks?_ I did the math in my head. _That's three months. Holy shit!_ I looked back down at my belly. I was already a month. _That means I could have a baby bump in two months!_ My mouth opened and I smiled.

Dr. Cohen looked at me. "I'm glad this is a happy time for you." He smiled. "Where's the father?" I gave him an almost surprised look after he said that and didn't answer right away. "Sorry." He said before I spoke. "I shouldn't have."

"No. It's fine." I said quickly. "He's not dead." I shook my head and let out a small laugh. "He's just…out on a run."

"I see." The doctor said. "Well, I hope he gets back safe. You'll have some exciting news to tell him." He smiled. I smiled back. He took the wand away from me.

"Wait." I stopped him. "I-I didn't get a good look. Could I please see them again?"

Dr. Cohen smiled at me again. "Of course." He placed it back on me and moved around until he found the correct spot. "There they are."

I stared at the screen in awe. They looked just like a tiny little peanut. My mouth spread into a wide grin. _That's my baby. Our baby._ I put my hand over my belly.

* * *

Dr. Cohen gave me some prenatal vitamins before I left. I opened the bottle while I was still in his office and looked at them, they were some pretty large pills. They didn't smell too good either. I just laughed and shrugged. _Oh well. I will do anything for my little peanut._ He said I didn't need to come back for a month unless I needed to. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

I was all smiles as I left his office. However, I heard a commotion and looked up to see Glenn's group coming back from the run. My face lit up. _That means Daryl is back too!_ I walked right up to them. As I got closer, though, I didn't see Daryl and they were already closing the gate. My smile faded a little.

"Hey." I said to Glenn. "Welcome back." I smiled and he gave me a hug. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah, but…" He trailed off. I noticed he wasn't really making eye contact with me.

"But what?" I said shaking my head. He gave me a concerned look, which worried the hell out of me. "Glenn, where's Daryl?"

He seemed to hesitate. "…we got swarmed and we had to move. We split up." He informed me. I should have known something was going to happen. _With good news, comes bad news._ My eyes widened and I was about to say something but Glenn spoke first. "He's fine." He raised his voice a little. "He'll be fine."

"But how can you know that?" My eyes were still pretty wide.

Glenn sighed. "Look, Daryl told me that he would lead them away and he'd find his way back another way." He nodded. I was still worried. I closed my eyes and breathed out. "Abby, it's Daryl. Trust me, he'll be fine." He smiled and let out a small laugh.

I took in what he said. Daryl was smart and tough, he knew how to handle things. How to survive. "Yeah." I nodded. "Yeah, you're right." I gave him a small smile.

"I know, I'm right." Glenn kind of teased. "Listen to your big brother." He nudged me a little. I let out a small laugh and looked down. There was a brief pause. "What do you got there?"

I looked up and saw him looking at the bottle of vitamins in my hand. _Shit._ "Oh, nothing." I tried to hide it behind my back. _Way to make it obvious, idiot!_ I scolded myself.

"Oh come on." He said giving me a look.

I thought for a minute. I remembered that I was the first one that he told about Maggie being pregnant. Well, me and Rosita. Maybe I should return the blessing. "Actually," I moved it from behind my back, "it's prenatal vitamins." I looked at him nervously and bit my lip.

His eyes widened a little. "For you?" He smiled. I just nodded but my nervous look turned to a smile, my lip was still in my teeth. Glenn smiled real big then. "Congratulations!" He hugged me and lifted me off of the ground a little. I giggled.

Then I remembered something. "Wait." I said once my feet hit the ground. "I only told you because you told me first about Maggie, so don't tell anyone else." I pointed at him.

He nodded. "I'm honored." He imitated me from those years ago. I laughed, so did he. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

* * *

Glenn and I talked pretty much the whole way back to my house. We caught up, it had been a long time since we talked. "Thanks for walking with me." I said once we got to my house. "It's been a long time since I've seen your dumbass. You want to stay for a minute?" I asked him. He seemed to hesitate. _He probably wants to get home to his wife and son, stupid._ "How stupid of me." I laughed. "You probably want to get home to Maggie and little Hershel." I smiled.

Glenn let out a nervous laugh. "Well…to be honest, yeah, I do." He smiled at me.

I smiled back. "It's okay. I get it." I nodded. "It was really nice talking to you though. We need to see each other more often."

"Yeah, I know." He said. "Maggie and I say it all the time."

I nodded. There was a brief pause. "Well, tell Maggie I said hi and give hershel a kiss for me." I smiled. "And remember what I told you. Don't say a word to anyone!" I said with wide-eyes.

"I won't." He laughed. "I'll see ya."

I went to the door and watched him leave. Then, I put my hand on my stomach and smiled. _We should make Glenn and Maggie the godparents._

Even though I was worried about Daryl, I couldn't stop smiling. I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby. I honestly thought it would take way longer than this. And I'm a whole month already! _We're going to be parents! I'm going to be a mom!_

I gasped just then and it felt like I was punched in the stomach. "I'm going to be a mom." I said out loud. I slowly sat down on the couch. That means I'm responsible. I have to take better care of myself and be careful.

 _What should I do? Should I eat something?_ I really wasn't that hungry. _But…_ I placed my hand over my stomach and looked down. "I'll just have something small." I said out loud and shrugged. I'm talking to myself again. I don't do well here on my own.

I ended up eating something in a can that I could just heat up. I didn't feel like cooking. I sat at the table to start eating but when I put my foot down, I stepped in water. "What the hell?" I said and looked. That's when I saw the bowl of water and cat food and remembered about my new pet. _Oh my God! I completely forgot about my cat!_ "Ponyboy!" I called. "Where are you little guy?"

I heard a meow about a minute later and he came out from our bedroom, I guessed. I laughed. "Hey, little guy?" I smiled. "Where ya been? You hungry?" I took one of the meatballs out of my spaghetti-O's and gave it to him. I was a little surprised that he actually ate it. I giggled and put a few more into his dish.

I ate some of my food and it wasn't long that I just didn't want it anymore. I got full pretty fast. Probably because I haven't really been eating. Plus, I don't know, I just didn't want it. I decided to eat a little bit more though.

I shoveled some into my mouth but after about three spoonfuls, I was sick. I could not eat anymore at all or I would puke. I looked down at the bowl, there was still a good bit of it left. _Oh well._ I thought. _I'll just wrap it up, maybe I'll eat it later or even Daryl will._ I wrapped it up and placed it in the fridge.

I sighed and sat back on the couch. Speaking of Daryl, why hasn't he gotten back yet? I hope he didn't run into trouble. I was beginning to worry myself. I had to nip that in the bud before it got any worse. _No good in doing that._ I told myself. _You'll just make yourself sick._

I nodded, then looked down at Ponyboy. "Come here you little cutie pie baby." I smiled and picked him up. I put him on me as I laid down on the couch. "Hey." I petted him. "Guess what, Pony? You're gonna have a little brother or sister." I smiled sweetly. He meowed. "Yeah. What do you think about that?" He looked at me and meowed again. I laughed. "I can tell you're excited." He meowed right in my face this time. I smelled his nasty breath. "Ew, you gots da stinky breath." I said to him. "Almost made me pass out." I laughed. Ponyboy laid down on me. I guess I'm stuck here now until he decides to move, so I might as well chill. I got more comfortable and laid back. "Ah." I said. "It's always nice to relax." I smiled.

* * *

I don't really know how but I must have fallen asleep. I woke up feeling disoriented and it was pretty dark in the trailer. _Damn! How long was I asleep?_ I couldn't remember what time it was when I laid down. Either way, I better get up and put a lamp on.

I sighed sitting up, my neck and back hurt a little from the position I was laying in. I stretched before standing up. Finally, I put the lamp on and got some light in here and saw that Ponyboy was asleep on the couch. He must have moved off of me at some point and curled up down there.

It was then that I remembered about Daryl. Why was he still not back? What's going on? He better be okay. Now I was really starting to worry. I wasn't worried at first because like Glenn said, it's Daryl. However, anything can happen out there. I swallowed hard. My throat was dry.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was getting late, I would be going to bed soon. I really didn't want to spend another night alone here. Being alone during the day is one thing, but I really hated being alone at night. _And I was really missing my husband._ I thought sadly.

I don't think I want him going out like this often, especially now that I'm pregnant. I mean…I didn't like it before but now it's more serious. He has more to lose now if something were to happen to him. I don't even want to think about that.

All of a sudden, I had to pee out of nowhere. It just came on so suddenly and it was bad. I practically ran into the bathroom. "Damn." I said out loud. Then, I smiled down at my stomach. "You're killing me already." I laughed.

Just then, I remembered about that weird pain that I was getting. _Shit! I should have told the doctor about that while I was there!_ I scolded myself. That can't have anything to do with the pregnancy. It just wouldn't make sense. I sighed just then. Well, at least it hasn't happened today.

I looked at myself in the mirror, my eyes looked full of concern whether I was trying to hide it or not. I took a deep breath. I wish Daryl would have been here to go to the doctor's with me. We could have shared that special time together. I became saddened because even though I was super happy when it happened, the point was it already happened and I couldn't take it back. There was nothing I could do about that.

Maybe I should have waited until he got back. _If he gets back._ Don't go there. I shook that thought. He's coming back. I nodded. He is. I was slowly gaining some confidence back. He led the walkers away and it got late so he probably stayed somewhere for the night. _Yeah._ I nodded at myself in the mirror again. Everything is fine.

And so what if he wasn't there at the first doctor's appointment? I have plenty more that he can come to. And it's better that I went to see the doctor because now we know for sure. I have confirmation, which means big news and a big surprise. I smiled.

Just then, a gust of wind blew making a whistling sound and it kind of scared me. I looked out the window into the darkness. I could see my reflection in the glass, there was a frown on my face. _I just hope he gets home soon._

* * *

I was trying my hardest to stay calm but as it got later and later, I began to worry more. I already accepted the fact that Daryl wasn't coming home tonight, hours ago. However, I still couldn't stop thinking about the what ifs. I was making myself sick thinking about it.

I convinced myself to try and get some sleep because what good would it do anyone if I was sick? So…I grabbed my kitten, turned off all the lights and headed into bed. I got under the covers and tried to warm up. I doubt I'm going to get any sleep tonight. But I should at least try.

Ponyboy laid down and curled up next to me. I smiled at him. _At least one of us is stress free._ "You're one of the best things in my life." I told him and kissed his little head. "You, Daryl and," I put my hand over my stomach and looked down, "my little peanut." I tried to look on the bright side. It's hard to do but…I'm trying.

I laid down and closed my eyes. It wasn't long that my mind started wandering again. _What if Daryl's reaction isn't…as positive as you're thinking?_ My eyes shot open. I felt something run through me as that realization set in. I wasn't even thinking about that. I was just thinking about my own joy. What if Daryl isn't excited? Or worse…what if he actually gets upset? I mean…we both decided that we wanted a family but…how soon was too soon? I didn't know. I sat up in bed and put a hand on my forehead. "Oh." I breathed out feeling a new worry.

I stayed like that for a minute. _You're doing it to yourself again!_ I reminded me. _You gotta stop this!_ I nodded, then took a few deep breaths. Daryl is going to be happy about this and you know it. _Daddy Daryl._ I smiled to myself as I laid back down. I wonder how my dad and Michonne will react to it. My sister will be excited but she will probably also brag about how she was right. I rolled my eyes. _Kids._ I realized what I just said and looked down. _Well, I better get used to it._ I smiled.

 _Okay._ I thought and snuggled up again. I'm going to try to get some sleep _. For real this time._ "Goodnight, Ponyboy." I said to my kitty and smiled. "Goodnight, my little peanut." I put my hand over my stomach. "And goodnight, Daryl." I placed my other hand over my heart. "Be safe, love."

* * *

When I was in the shower this morning, I couldn't stop staring at this one little piece of hair that was stuck on the shower curtain. I couldn't tell if it was mine or Daryl's. That might be weird but…our hair is about the same length and pretty close to the same shade of brown. Crazy, isn't it? It made me think about our baby and what they would look like.

Whatever our kid is, boy or girl, they should have the same color hair as we do. Or at least a lighter brown color. That's what I learned in biology. If we have a second kid, their hair could be light brown or even blonde. But our first kid should pretty much match us since we both have dark brown hair.

I wonder if that would look strange? We would all have matching hair. I never really thought about this but my family all had dark brown hair. My dad, my mom, me and Carl and now Judith even. Her hair was light when she was a baby but now it's coming in dark. I bet it gets even darker. Did people view us as weird because we all sort of looked alike. I never gave the topic much thought. However, I couldn't help but wonder now. Maybe I'm just going insane?

"Hm." I said and shrugged. I finished soaping up my body and washed the suds off. Then, I quickly finished up in there and got out. I shivered as I wrapped a towel around me, hurrying to get dried off so I can get dressed.

* * *

I sat at the table for a while just twisting my wedding ring around on my finger. _Are Daryl and I even really married?_ We didn't have an actual wedding but who does anymore? Glenn and Maggie didn't. My dad and Michonne didn't. Neither did Carol and Mark. So…are any of us even really married? Does it even really matter though? I mean…we made a promise to each other. And it's not like we're screwing around with other people. So, I guess technically we are married. That's the way I choose to look at it, and Daryl probably feels the same way. So, that's the way it is.

A light knock at the door slowly brought me out of my thoughts and it took a second for me to react. _That's weird._ I didn't even hear any footsteps or anything. I turned slightly to look out the window, but I didn't see anyone. _Even weirder. Does this window have a blind spot?_ I almost laughed.

I figured it was just the wind or something and decided to ignore it. Or maybe someone was messing around? Probably some dumb kid that thinks they're funny. _What was I doing before that happened? Oh yeah, thinking about marriage._ I think I was done with that topic though. I confirmed that we're all married.

There was another knock at the door, it sounded just like the first time. "What the hell?" I looked out the window again but still didn't see anyone. "What is going on?" I stood up a little annoyed and opened the door. There was no one there. "Okay, who's playing?" I said and stepped down onto the porch. "I don't find this fun— I was cut off my someone grabbing me from behind and lifting me. I screamed.

They began kissing my face several times, and I knew it was Daryl. I giggled and turned so I could see his face. "Daryl!" I wrapped my arms around his neck and he just held me and kissed me some more.

He put me down and we just looked at each other. "Hi." I smiled.

"Hi, baby." He said. "Yer hairs wet." He pointed.

I grabbed at it. "Yeah, I just took a shower."

"Well, come on then." He gestured. "Let's go inside." I turned and he lifted me up the stairs. I giggled.

"So, I have something to tell you." I turned to him as he closed the door. "We have a cat now." I said.

"What?" He gave me a look.

"Yeah, I got him from the neighbors." I smiled. I picked the cat up from off of the couch. "See." I showed Daryl.

He kind of scowled. "What'd ya get a damn cat for?"

My face fell a little and I pulled him to me. "Cuz I love kitties." I kissed his head. "And he's a sweet boy. Aren't you, Ponyboy?" I petted under his chin.

Daryl snorted. "Ya named the damn thang Ponyboy?"

I laughed pretty hard at the way he said it. "Yes. It fits him perfectly."

Daryl snorted again and kind of laughed. "Alright." He shook his head and started taking his jacket off.

 _Well, that was the small news done, now for the big one._ "Actually, I have something else to tell you." I smiled.

"Ugh." Daryl said and gave me a look. My smiled faded. "Don't tell me nothin' bad."

I was a little shocked. "What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Every time ya say that, ya tell me somethin' bad."

I paused for a minute thinking about what he said. "I do not." I became defensive. What is he even talking about? What bad news do I always tell him? In fact, it's usually him that relays bad news to me. So, it's the other way around.

"Yeah, ya do." He said. "How many times do ya tell me yer sick or hurt or somethin' like that?"

"Oh." I looked down. "Yeah." I guess he's right about that. It actually made me feel a bit bad. I wanted us to have good things to talk about, not bad all the time. And, so, I became disappointed. _This is not how this was supposed to go._

Daryl came closer to me and lifted my chin. We locked eyes and he kissed my lips. I closed my eyes and began to feel a little better about the situation. I wanted us to enjoy this moment right now because this is the important stuff. I was missing this. Really bad.

We finally pulled apart and looked into each other's eyes. "You wanna?" He asked me with a slight smirk.

I bit my lip. I wanted to tell him about the baby but I also wanted it to be the right time. I didn't think now was that time. But I did want have sex with my husband who I have missed. "Yes." I smiled. He kissed me again and lifted me. I kicked my shoes off while he was holding me. He continued to kiss me as he took us into our bedroom.

He lowered us onto the bed and I began unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans. I felt his hands on my waist and he lifted the hem of my shirt and pulled it off for me. "I wanna be on top." I pulled away and said.

"Alright." Was all Daryl said to that. He really doesn't give a fuck. I almost wanted to laugh.

We finished taking the rest of our clothes off, then Daryl grabbed me and planted kisses on my neck. I closed my eyes and my breathing quickened. I took him in and all things I have been stressing about slowly disappeared. As I always said, he's my best medicine.

Daryl kissed my body making his way down. "Ah." I let out a low moan. I love his hands on me. He was down by my sex now and kissed softly just above my bikini line. I moaned a little louder. This was like sweet torture.

Then, he inserted a finger inside of me causing me squirm. My eyes shot open and I gasped. That completely caught me off guard. He pulled his finger out and looked at me. "I thank yer wet enough." He said. Then he licked his finger! My face flushed. I can't believe he just did that.

"Okay." I said, my voice a little shaky. "Switch me." We quickly switched our positions. Daryl laid on the bed where I was and I got on top of him. I looked down at his mushroom tip that was happy to see me, then smiled at him. I slowly eased myself down onto him wincing a little.

Once I was…where I needed to be, I smiled at him and took a breath. Then, I started moving.

I was riding him at a normal pace as usual, then began to move faster. I was breathing heavier than usual and getting pretty tired out. _Jeez, what's wrong with me?_ I even had to stop for a few seconds at one point. Daryl gave me a weird look, but I pretended not to notice and started moving again.

I wish I could make this quicker. I was really tired for some reason. _This kid is taking all my energy._ I joked. Then, I remembered…there is a way. I grabbed Daryl's hands and placed them on my breasts. "Ah." I moaned and looked up towards the ceiling. That helped a little. "Say something." I said to Daryl.

I heard him swallow. "What the hell ya so tired for?" He said. "You better cum soon or yer gonna be in trouble, you hear me, little girl?"

"Yes." I moaned out. "Keep going."

"You just keep on ridin' me." Daryl spoke roughly. "Yeah." He slapped my bottom. That would just about do it.

I let go and climaxed around him. It kept going and going, it was long overdue…I guess. "Ah." I moaned softly as I was coming down. Suddenly, Daryl grabbed me and switched our positions so he could finish. I was thankful because I didn't think I could go anymore, which I thought was really weird because I never get this tired during. I usually have great stamina when it comes to sex. I was pretty disappointed in myself to say the least.

It didn't take long until I felt Daryl's warm liquid inside of me. He took a few seconds before getting off of me, and I kissed his cheek. Then, he slowly pulled out and laid next to me.

Daryl exhaled sharply through his nose, then sniffed. I don't know why but I always liked when he made that sound. I felt his finger on my face, he trailed down my cheek like a tear. "You okay?"

I looked at him and forced a smile. "Yeah, I just got really tired. I'm sorry."

He pulled me close and kissed my temple. "You sure yer okay? You look…thinner."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I shook my head. "I promise." I looked away and took a breath before speaking again. "It's probably just because I haven't eaten dinner for the passed two or three days." I let out a nervous laugh. I regretted saying that almost immediately.

"Why ain't ya been eatin'?" He said roughly. "We outta food or somethin'? Cuz the last time I checked, we was pretty stocked. And that's the only reason why ya shouldn't be eatin'."

I looked at him after that. He seemed a little angry. "I just wasn't hungry so I didn't want to cook anything for just me." I shrugged. "And…I just didn't feel like it."

Daryl was quiet for a minute. "Well…yer eatin' somethin' today."

I smiled, then turned to face him. _He's always so worried about me. He'll never change._ I liked that though. Wrapping my arm around him, I laid my head on his chest. He planted a kiss on the top of my head. "Did everything go okay on your run?" I asked quietly. "Glenn told me about you guys getting swarmed."

"Yeah, it was fine…'cept that." He said. I nodded. I realized just then that he sounded a little strange.

I lifted my head to look at him. "Are you getting sick? You sound a little stuffy." I trailed down his nose with my finger.

"I'm fine." He said and grabbed my hand. "And yer hands are cold." He rubbed my hand in his, then planted a kiss on it. I smiled.

"I'll make some soup for dinner." I said and sat up. "Are you hungry?"

"Starvin'." He answered.

"Okay." I got up and began putting my clothes on. "I'll make something. Something that will warm us up." I smiled.

* * *

Daryl and I were sitting at the table eating the soup I made. The broth tasted delicious, if I can say so myself? I loved it's salty goodness. The warmth felt so good as it went down. I closed my eyes. I could probably fall asleep now.

"So, what'd you do here while I was gone?" Daryl asked me.

"Not much." I looked at him. "My sister spent a night here and we had a nice, little girls night." I smiled.

"Good." Daryl nodded.

I stared at him. "You still sound stuffy to me." I kind of smirked at him. "I think you're getting a cold."

"I'm fine." He shook his head. "Probably just the dry air."

I just looked at him. I didn't believe that for a single second. I know if he was sick, he would never let on. Why do I even bother? "Okay." I smiled. "Whatever you say."

There was a brief pause. "Oh." Daryl said with his mouth full, I looked back over at him. He took the time to swallow before speaking again. "I just remembered that you said ya wanted to tell me somethin' earlier and ya never did. What was is it?"

I bit my lip nervously and looked away. _Shit. Is now the right time?_ I chickened out earlier because of his reaction to the cat and then what he said about me telling him bad news all the time. I looked back at him, he was waiting for an answer. I opened my mouth but didn't speak yet. I shrugged. "…I…honestly don't remember now." I lied.

"Huh." Daryl said, then went back to his food. "Hope it weren't nothin' important then." I didn't say anything to that. Maybe I should just tell him. Maybe now is a good time. I finally worked up the courage.

I turned back to him. "Actually—

"Get off the table!" Daryl yelled at Ponyboy who jumped up onto the table. He got scared and took off.

"Aw, Daryl." I gave him a look.

"What do ya mean, "aw, Daryl?" He snapped. "He don't belong on the table."

I sighed and put my head down. He stopped me before I told him the news. Maybe there was a reason why that happened? Maybe it's a good thing because now _wasn't_ the right time. It was making me upset. I just sat there at the dinner table with my head down.

After a few minutes, Daryl must have noticed. He lifted my chin and forced me to look at him. "Somethin's wrong and I wanna know what?" He stared at me.

We just stared into each other's eyes for a moment, it was like I got lost. I got an uplifting feeling. Not like a good feeling but just like I didn't care anymore. And, so, I just blurted it out. "I'm pregnant."

Something changed in Daryl's face and he let go of my chin. I got extremely nervous waiting to hear what he was going to say about it. He looked down at his food for a moment. "Okay." He finally said and cleared his throat. "Is this like last time or…" He trailed off.

"No." I said. He looked at me. "This is different. I'm happy about it." I smiled. He looked down and didn't say anything. My smile faded a little. "Aren't you?"

"Sure." He looked at me again. "If you are, then I am." He nodded. There was a brief pause. "Are you sure about this? Did you—

"I already went to see the doctor." I said slowly cutting him off. "So, yeah. I'm positive." I nodded. "And surprise surprise. They're a month old already." I let out a nervous laugh.

Daryl didn't say anything to that, he took a huge gulp of his water. There was a brief pause. "Well," he looked back at me, "looks like we're havin' a baby." There was a hint of a smile on his face.

I grinned. "That's what it looks like." We were both quiet again but I didn't take my eyes off of him. Finally, he looked back at me and we stared at each other. Then, all of a sudden…we both started to laugh. It was so funny. We just busted out laughing like two crazy idiots.

We still hadn't said anything, we just sat there laughing like that. There wasn't anything we had to say. The laughter was enough. I was so excited to tell him about the news at first, then I became nervous and worried what he would think. This was definitely not the reaction I was expecting, but it was perfect. And I wouldn't really call it good, but I wouldn't call it bad either. And it didn't matter. I loved this moment.

* * *

 **Happy** **Thanksgiving!**

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	41. Sick Puppy

Daryl pulled out of me and moved over to his side of the bed. When we first went to bed and got started, I almost stopped him because I was feeling tired but I just went along with it anyway. Besides, I always have a good time with my man. I rolled over and smiled at him, then snuggled up closer. He put his arm around me and started playing with the ends of my hair. It feels so good when he does that, it's been a while since he has. Part of me felt a little guilty because of him starting to get sick, and I felt like I should be the one playing with him. Then, I remembered I was pregnant; carrying his child. So, I just relaxed and leaned into him more.

"That was fantastic." I said to Daryl. I rubbed on him where my hand was with my thumb. He was nice and warm. "And what you're doing right now feels amazing. I like that." I smiled.

"Yeah?" He said. "Good. I like to make my girl feel good." He stopped what he was doing for a moment, I felt him move a little and he planted a sweet, little kiss on my forehead. I smiled.

Just then, the kitten jumped up onto the bed. I looked down. "Aw, come here, Ponyboy baby." I called him. "You can sleep with muma and daddy." He walked up to where our heads were.

"Ugh." Daryl complained. "That lil thang better not be wakin' me up, meowin' and walkin' on me and shit." His voice seemed extra raspy, probably because of him getting sick. I wonder if he feels any different?

I laughed at what he said though. "Oh, Daryl, stop." I gently smacked his arm. "He'll be fine. He's a good boy." I petted under his chin causing his eyes to close. He was purring loudly.

"Whatever." Daryl said roughly. "I'm goin' to sleep." He rolled over the other way, facing away from me. I got more comfortable and laid the same way. Ponyboy was laying on my pillow but he was sort of between our heads. You could hear him purring loudly and occasionally, he would meow. I smiled because I knew it wouldn't be long until Daryl said something. I silently laughed with my hand over my mouth.

After about a minute, I heard Daryl make a noise. _Here it comes._ I smirked. "Mm." He said angrily. He sat up a little and glared in the cat's direction. "Get the hell outta here!" He yelled. Ponyboy took off. I felt bad for him, but I couldn't help but laugh. I giggled loudly. "All's I can hear is the damn thang purrin'." Daryl growled. "So annoyin'."

I was still laughing. "Oh, Daryl." I tapped his chin, then kissed the bridge of his nose. "Well, he's gone now, you scared him away. Cuz you're mean." I teased him, then giggled again.

"Yeah." He nodded, then laid down again. He was facing me this time on his side, I was laying on my back. I felt him snake his arm around me, he moved his hand down and kept it on my stomach. I smiled and placed my hand over his.

* * *

Daryl was always an early riser usually getting up about six in the morning. I am not a morning person. I prefer to stay in bed until at least eight and when I was just a teenager with a normal life before the turn, I would sometimes sleep in until noon. But I can't be _that_ lazy now. So, eight it is. I still have to set an alarm for that time too. I use the one on my iPod. So, Daryl is always up before me. However, something strange happened this morning.

My alarm went off and I shut it off as usual, but when I sat up and stretched, I saw Daryl laying next to me. Still asleep, or so I thought. His hair was over his eyes, so I couldn't tell if they were open or not. I blinked a few times at him, then heard him sniffle then cough. I think I got the answer to my unasked question.

I moved his hair out of his face so I could feel his forehead. It was warm. I gave him an annoyed look. "You're sick, which means you lied to me." I crossed my arms in front of me.

"I didn't lie." Daryl said all stuffy sounding. "I just didn't feel like this yesterday." He coughed again.

I almost wanted to roll my eyes. I bet that was a lie too. I was about to say something else but stopped because I realized what he said. "So, you admit that you don't feel good then?"

Daryl turned his head into the pillow and coughed into it. "I didn't say that." He shook his head a little. "I'm fine. I gotta look after you and the baby." He put his hand on my back. I smiled and did roll my eyes this time. Even when I'm mad at him, I can't be mad at him. Typical Daryl, always putting others before himself.

"Well, I'm going to take care of you." I tapped his nose. "And I'm pretty good at it, if I can say that?" I put up my nose. "Whenever someone in my house got sick, I used to play nurse." I smiled remembering that. I probably took care of Carl the most, then my dad. My mom hardly ever got sick.

"Well, I don't need you playin' nurse with me." Daryl said trying to give me a serious look. It was actually kind of adorable. _He's cute when he's sick._ "You gotta take care 'a the baby. Don't worry about me." He turned his head just then to sneeze.

I wanted to tell him that he was being stupid, but I just decided to let it go. I shook my head. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"No." He answered quickly. "I'll wait a little til about noon and heat up some 'a that soup from yesterday." He coughed, then sniffled.

"Okay." I sighed. I pushed his hair back a few times. "Well, I wanted to go tell my dad and Michonne about the baby today." I paused. "You don't have to come if you don't want to." I shook my head. "In fact, you should just stay in bed and rest today. It'll be fine." I nodded.

He lifted his head a little to look at me. "Do ya want me to go?"

I just looked at him for a second. "It doesn't matter." I shrugged. I thought for a minute. He's not going to think about himself, he's only going to think about me. _You know how he is._ I thought to myself. I have to tell him no, otherwise, he'll come with me and he shouldn't. He should rest. "No." I then said. "You don't have to or need to. I can tell them myself. I want you to stay here." I nodded.

"Alright." Daryl said with his face in the pillow. I smiled.

"I shouldn't be too long." I got out of bed and made my way around to his side. "When I come back, I'll make you some soup." I kissed his forehead, then headed into the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

"Here. I made you some hot tea." I said sweetly and sat the steaming cup on the end table. I was showered and fully dressed ready to go. I just didn't have my coat on yet. "It has honey in it, it might help soothe your throat." I ran my hand though his hair and rubbed his arm for a second. "When I come back, I want that gone." I said a little more sternly.

"Yes, ma'am." Daryl mumbled. He slowly rolled over and sat up a little, then reached for the tea. "Thank you." He said before taking a small sip.

"Be careful, it's hot." I warned him. I watched him drink a little, then he sat it back down and cleared his throat. There was a brief pause. I had a thought, just then, and picked up Daryl's clothes for him then sat them on the bed. "It's cold, you should put some clothes on." I looked at him. He just nodded. There was another pause. "Alright, well…I'm gonna go. I won't be long." I moved closer to him and hugged his head close to mine, then planted three kisses on his cheek. His kissed my arm. "I love you."

"Love you too." He said. I smiled and pushed his hair back, then turned to leave. Daryl stopped me when I was almost out the bedroom door. "Abby." I looked back. "Thank you, really." He looked a little more serious than he did before. I just smiled at him, then left.

* * *

I just walked right in to their house, the door was unlocked so why not? Plus, my dad did say that I was welcome there anytime. The three of them were eating breakfast, they all looked up when I walked in. "Hey." My dad said.

"Hey." I smiled. "Good morning, beautiful family." I said to be corny. They all kind of laughed. I sat down next to Michonne on the bench seat. "So, whatcha doin'?"

"Looks like we're eatin'." Judith said and gave me a stupid look. My dad and Michonne kind of laughed. I just smirked back at her. _Maybe my attitude is rubbing off on her. That's a good thing. She can carry on my legacy._ I let out a small laugh at that thought. They probably thought I just laughed at what Judith said.

"You want some coffee, honey?" My dad asked me.

"No, thanks. I can't." I waved him off. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to drink coffee when you're pregnant, even though I already did because I didn't know I was pregnant at the time. "And I'm not staying long, I just wanted to tell you guys something." I bit my lip.

"Guess what, Abby?" Judith interrupted me acting excitedly. My eyes glazed over to her and my smile faded. _Really? Kind of a bad time, kid! I was about to give the best news ever!_ I couldn't be mean to her though. I pretended to be interested.

"What's that?" I asked with an amused look even though I was actually a little annoyed. _I should be an actress._ I almost laughed.

"Daddy said once it gets warm out, he'll take me to the lake and teach me how to swim!" My sister said excitedly.

I just stared at her for a moment kind of waiting for her to say something else, but she didn't. _That's it? That's her fantastic news? Kids._ I wanted to roll my eyes. "Great." I said trying to be real about it. "Well if you guys need a lifeguard, you know where to find me." I said looking at my dad. He laughed. There was a brief pause after that. "So…remember the other day when you guys were teasing me and saying I was pregnant?" I pretended to be somewhat annoyed when I said it.

"Yeah." My dad said. Michonne didn't say anything but was looking at me and Judith was already off in her own little world. I hesitated. "…well, it's funny because…now I am pregnant." I let out a small laugh. They both gave me shocked looks.

"What?" My dad said with a smile.

"Is this for real?" Michonne said smiling as well. I looked at her. "Like you're not joking?" I was grinning widely and nodded. "Congratulations!" She hugged me. "I'm so happy for you! For both of you!" We let go of each other and screamed a little in excitement, then laughed.

"I told you so." Judith said bragging just like I knew she would. I was annoyed at her but still smiled anyway.

I glanced over at my dad because I wondered why he hasn't said anything yet. I couldn't read his expression. "Dad?" I titled my head a little when I looked at him. "Ya okay? I just said you're gonna be a grandpa." I smiled, then laughed.

"Yeah." He closed his eyes for a second and shook his head like he was being stupid or something. "Sorry, baby. I was just taking that all in." He let out a weird laugh. "I was just mentally burying Daryl's body." He laughed again. I gave him a look but still laughed. "That's great, baby. That's the best news ever. Really." He got up and we hugged. "I'm gonna be a pappy!" We all laughed. There was a brief pause. "Do you want some breakfast, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, have something to eat." Michonne said.

I hesitated remembering about Daryl. "Oh, I don't know. I mean…I was going to make something at home, but Daryl didn't want anything because he's sick with a cold or something." I made a disappointed face. "So, I'd feel guilty. And I told him I wouldn't stay long. I'm playing nurse now." I let out a small laugh.

"Oh, I remember when you used to do that with me." My dad gave me a look. "Now my baby is _having_ a baby. Oh, you're all grown up now." He hugged me again. For a minute, I thought he was going to start crying. He pinched my cheek for a second after we let go of each other. I just looked at him and smiled and let out a small laugh. "You should really eat something though." He nodded. I hesitated and glanced at Michonne, she nodded as well.

"Okay." I shrugged and sat back down. _What the hell._ I put some eggs onto my plate and poured myself some orange juice. I stopped right then because I had a thought. "Hey, wait a minute." I said. "How come you guys didn't offer me any breakfast when I first walked in and sat down?" I gave them a suspicious look. They both laughed.

"That was before we knew you were carrying our grand baby." My dad said.

"Oh, I see." I crossed my arms. "So, you're just worried about him or her? You don't care about me. I can starve, right?"

"Pretty much." Michonne said with a shrug. There was a brief pause, then we all laughed.

* * *

I ate my breakfast, then my dad wanted to walk me home. I told him he didn't have to but he insisted. _I guess I'm more delicate now or something._ "So, you okay?" My dad asked me.

"Yeah." I shrugged. I wasn't about to tell him about my mystery pains and throwing up. He would just get super worried about me like he always does. "I've been craving peanut butter." I laughed.

My dad let out a small laugh. "Your mom used to too." He looked at me. I smiled. "You know, you look more and more like her everyday."

"Really? I always thought I looked more like you." I laughed. "I am the first born after all, that's usually what happens." I paused. "No offense, but I would rather look like mom."

My dad laughed. "Why? Something wrong with me?"

"No." I laughed. "Mom was just…beautiful." I smiled. He smiled back.

There was a brief pause. My dad looked up at the sky. "Yeah." He nodded. "She was."

I just looked at him for a moment. He was acting a little strange. I wondered what it was. "Judith looks like mom." I said just to be saying something.

"She does." Was all he said. He didn't seem sad or anything. I don't know how to explain it. We were pretty much quiet the rest of the way there.

We reached my house. "Thanks for walking me home, daddy." I hugged him. "I always love coming to see you."

He kissed the top of my head. "And I always love _seeing_ you." He hugged me back tightly and held onto me a little longer. I didn't pull away or anything. "Mm. Come here." He said. "Here's one for you." He planted a kiss on my forehead. "And here's one for my grand baby." He kissed my forehead again.

I smiled. "Thanks, daddy."

"I love you."

"Love you, too." I started to get a little emotional for some reason. My dad and I are super close and I just don't see him as much as I used to. I mean…I went from being around him 24/7 to only seeing him like maybe once a week. And I know I can go see him everyday, but I feel like that would be weird. I don't know why? Maybe because I'm married now and I enjoy spending most of my time with Daryl. He will always be my number one. However, my dad used to be that number one. So, it made me a little sad, I guess.

"Take care of yourself and…"

"My little peanut." I put my hand on my stomach and looked down. When I looked back up, my dad was looking at me. "That's what I've been calling he or she." I smiled.

My dad nodded. "Try to give me a grandson, we have too many girls in this family."

"Oh, shut up." I pushed his arm.

He laughed. "I'm just joking. I'll love them no matter what." We smiled at each other.

"I know." There was a brief pause. "Well, I better get inside to Daryl. I said I wouldn't be gone long and it's been pretty long." I let out a laugh.

"Okay." My dad said. We hugged one more time, then he left and I went inside.

I turned around to close the door and saw Daryl sitting at the table. I gave him a look. _He should be in bed._ "Daryl Dixon, what are you doing out of bed?"

He shrugged. "I'on like layin' around all day." He said with his raspy, stuffy sounding voice. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." I narrowed my eyes at him. It makes me mad how he can't just admit that he's not fine. And that he can't just relax for once. "You need to go lay down and rest."

"I'on want to." He said sounding like a little boy. It was kind of cute, and I wanted to laugh. I was about to say something but he spoke first. "I'm hungry. I want that soup now."

I did laugh this time. "Were you sitting there the whole time waiting for me to come home?" I smirked.

"Nah. I was gonna do it myself." He turned his head. "But then I heard you come in." I realized his hair looked wet.

I gave him a weird look. "Did you take a shower?" I asked him. He looked at me. "Your hair looks wet?" I pointed.

He coughed and swallowed hard. "I thought maybe the steam would unstuff me." He sniffed.

"Did it work?"

"No." He said, then coughed again. He sounded awful. Part of me wanted to laugh because of the way he said that but a bigger part of me felt bad.

I walked over to him and pushed his hair back, feeling his forehead in the process. "You feel warmer than you did earlier. I might run up to the shop later and get you something for your fever. Maybe there will even be something for your cough." I nodded.

"Nah. I'on want you doin' nothin' ya don't have to fer me." He shook his head and sniffed.

I gave him an annoyed look. "Okay, Daryl, cool it with the tough guy act." I crossed my arms in front of me. "You're not fooling anyone. And I don't mind taking care of you. I want you to feel better." I thought for a minute. "Don't you try to take care of me when I'm sick or hurt?" He didn't say anything, just looked at me. "Well, I feel the same way about you." I put my hand under his chin. "So, you're gonna let me, it'll make things easier." I nodded. "And whether you do or not, I'm still going to." I smirked. He just looked at me the same way. "So, how about that soup now?" I said sweetly. He eventually just nodded. I gave him a sweet little kiss on his forehead.

I got out the pot of soup and sat it on the stove to heat. That should take a while. That's okay, though, it's still pretty early. By the time it's done, it will be like lunch time. I might even have some myself. I feel like my appetite is changing. Usually, I'm never really hungry, but today I have been. And I practically just ate. I almost laughed.

I turned to Daryl, just then, because I had a thought. "Will you still love me when I get fat?" I said. I was worried about gaining weight and then having to worry about getting back in shape once the baby is born.

"What?" He gave me a weird look.

"I'm gonna get fat." I said with wider eyes. "Months from now but still." I shook my head. "Are you gonna be grossed out by me?"

"Abby." Daryl gave me a stupid look. "I would love you no matter what. Quit bein' stupid." He coughed. "And anyway, how big could yer little ass even get?" He scoffed.

I huffed. "Well, I learned in Child Development that typically a woman gains fifteen to twenty-five pounds when she's pregnant. That doesn't seem like a lot, but I guarantee you can notice a difference."

"Good. Ya need to gain weight." He smirked. I just kind of glared at him.

Turning around, I gave the soup a good stir. Then, turned back to Daryl still giving him the same look but a little softer. "This should be ready in about ten minutes." I told him. He nodded and stood up, then got the bowls down from the top shelf where we keep the bigger bowls. I was thankful because it makes it easier on me. "And when you're done, I want you back in bed and I mean it." I said sternly.

He looked down at me with a smirk on his face. He must find this amusing. "Thank I'm gonna listen to a lil thang like you?" He teased me.

I crossed my arms over my chest and just looked at him for a moment. "You better listen to me or…you'll be making a very big mistake, Daryl Dixon."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" He raised an eyebrow and still smirked.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You realize that I can deny you sex, right?" He seemed to become a little more serious after I said that. I was glad. "That's right. You will never touch my lady parts again."

Daryl seemed to hesitate, almost like he was thinking about something. Then, he put his head down. "I'll eat and then go back to bed."

I smirked. "That's what I thought." I let out a small laugh. I doubt that that would really happen though. We would both get grumpy and not even want to talk to each other. In fact, I might be worse than he would be. Of course I can't let him know that though.

He slowly lifted his head and had a hint of a smile. "Ya know, yer cute when yer mad." He moved closer to me.

"Yeah, and you're cute when you're sick." I smiled. "So, once again, we're prefect for each other. I reached up and kissed his cheek. We couldn't kiss each other on the mouth because I could get sick from him. I will miss Daryl's lips on mine for a while. He kissed my forehead, though, making me smile.

* * *

I got into bed with Daryl after we ate. I thought I would sit with him for a while. I wanted to make my man feel better. It sucks to be sick. I was rubbing his arm. "So, what happened when you told them?" Daryl asked me.

"They were happy." I shrugged. "I actually think Michonne was more happy than my dad, which is weird." I shook my head. "He kind of looked like he was going to cry." I laughed. "He walked me home and was being extra…I don't know the right word. Like he kept saying that I was grown up now or something like that. I don't know." I shrugged. "But yeah, they were happy." I smiled.

"That's good." Daryl mumbled. "I'm surprised he didn't come over here with a shotgun and try to kill me."

I let out a nervous laugh remembering what he said at the table. _He was mentally burying Daryl's body? I wonder how much of that was true? I hope none of it and he was just joking._ I decided not to tell Daryl that part.

Just then, I heard Daryl cough, it sounded pretty bad. What was even worse was the sound that came when he inhaled. "I don't like the sound of that." I told him. "What if you're sicker than we think?" There was a brief pause. "If you're not any better in a few days, then you're going to see the doctor."

"No, I ain't."

"Yes, you are."

"I ain't goin' to see no damn doctor." He snapped causing himself to cough.

"Do not raise your voice at me." I said seriously. "And you WILL see the doctor if you're not better." He started to say something, but I cut him off. "You told me to stop being stupid earlier when I was talking about getting fat, well you stop being stupid now." I scolded him. "You're not invincible, Daryl. Everybody gets sick and everybody needs help once in a while. So, get off your high horse." I narrowed my eyes a little. He gave me a surprised look. I sighed. _I don't want him to think I'm mad at him._ "Listen," I said softer, "I love you, Daryl. I just want you to be okay." I rubbed his back again. "And we're gonna have baby soon. I _need_ you to be okay." I paused. "Don't you want to be a part of your son's or daughter's life?"

"Of course I do."

I gave him a serious look. "Well, then you gotta start worrying about yourself and not just us." Another pause. "It's not just about surviving anymore." I shook my head. "It's about living."

Daryl just stared at me for a moment. "Yer gonna be a good mom." He finally said. I was a little surprised at what he just said. "Ya know how I know?" I just looked at him. "Cuz ya refer to the baby like they're already here." He nodded.

I smiled at him. "And you're gonna be a good dad." I grabbed his face. He didn't say anything to that. I know he doesn't believe it, but he will be. _We_ will be. Together. I smiled at him, then there was a slight pause. "Come here." I said. "Lay your head on me." I pulled him closer. He readjusted himself and did what I said.

His head was on my chest. It was so sweet. He kind of reminded me of a sick puppy. I played with his hair and occasionally rubbed is back or arm or even rubbed his face with my thumb. I could tell he liked it. _I knew he couldn't resist._ I remember my mom telling me once that it doesn't matter how tough a man seems, they love to be babied. It doesn't matter, they are all the same. There isn't even an exception for Daryl Dixon.

I stayed there like that even when he fell asleep.


	42. Double Love or Double Trouble?

I was never really a good cook. I did my best but things just didn't turn out too good. However, I have always been good at baking. I'm the exact opposite of my mom. She made good food but she was a terrible baker. I remember this one time, we had two cakes to make so I suggested that she make one and I make the other. My grandparents came over, I think. Well, everyone liked mine better. We all laughed about it, but I think my mom was actually a little jealous. I think there were other times, too, that she was jealous of me, but…I won't get into that right now.

However, I wanted to try cooking something. Like a new, good dinner. Something we haven't had in a long time or even something Daryl and I never had. So, one of the neighbors let me have a chicken and some bacon. They were one of the rare people who have livestock here. I was thankful they let me. I will have to return the favor someday.

Anyway, I was cutting up the chicken(they had skinned it and gutted it already for me) when Daryl walked into the kitchen area wrapping his arms around me and kissing my neck. I grinned widely. His hands went to my growing stomach. I was a little over four months into the pregnancy now. We started to notice a difference about two months ago. He or she was really growing fast and big. "How's the…little peanut? Isn't that what you call them?"

I continued to smile. "Yeah. And they're fantastic. Just like me when you touch me like that." I turned my head and we gave each other a quick kiss. "Remember, we have a doctor's appointment tomorrow." I reminded him.

"Yeah, I know." He said with his face in my hair. "So, whatcha makin'?" Daryl said looking around me. "It looks good."

I laughed. "It's not even closed to being done yet." I looked back down at the chicken. "But it's going to be bacon wrapped brown sugar chicken." I giggled. "I wish there was a simpler name for it."

"Sounds good." Daryl said kissing my head. "Cain't wait. Don't burn it." He let go of me and walked away.

"Shut up." I said, then we both laughed. There was a brief pause, then I remembered what I wanted to tell him. I picked up a towel and began wiping my hands on it, then turned slightly to him. "So, guess what we're doing today now that we're both feeling good and the weather is nicer?"

"What?" Daryl said popping a grape into his mouth and giving me a curious look.

I smiled before answering. _I wonder if he's going to go along with it?_ "Remember that conversation we had a while back when I said this house is going to be too small for the three of us?" He gave me a look. He knew exactly where I was going with this. "We need a bigger space. And I'd like to be moved in before the baby is born."

"Yeah, I know." He sighed.

"So…I wanna go today." I said softly. "It's a perfect day for it." I glanced towards the window. "Let's just look around. See if anything is available."

"No." Daryl said. I looked at him and was about to say something but he spoke first. "We'll ask someone up at the clubhouse first, then we'll go look." He said. "I ain't gonna be walkin' around aimlessly."

I let out a small laugh. "Okay. We can go as soon as I get this together. That way, it'll be put together for when we come back and it'll just have to cook."

* * *

"That one's nice." I pointed and smiled. "And it's got a pretty spacey looking yard. That would be good for them." I put my hand over my stomach.

"Yeah, that porch don't look too good though." Daryl said. "It'll need work."

"Oh. We don't want that then." I said. I want to be able to move into a place and not have to worry about fixing it up or anything. It's hard enough now but with a baby? That would be even worse. "Let's keep looking." I moved us along.

There was another available trailer on the same street as the previous one. "That's cute." I said once we got to it. "Aw, there's a porch swing. That would be so fun." I thought about Daryl pushing our son or daughter on the swing. "They would love that."

"You like everythang." Daryl said to me. I giggled. "It is kinda nice though." He said again. "We'll come back to it after we see the rest."

"Okay." I agreed and nodded. We continued on.

"I don't like this one at all." I said shaking my head. "I mean…it's a cute, little house but that's exactly what we don't want. Little." I said with a laugh.

"Yeah. That's too small. In fact, that might be smaller 'an our house we got now."

"I was just thinking the same thing." I said. "Oh well, on to the next."

The next couple of houses were a little bit farther away, so we had to walk a distance. "I really hope we can find a good one. After all, it is going to be our home for a long time. So, I really hope we have some better luck with these ones." The thought almost kind of scared me that we would be living in a trailer for the rest of our lives. I mean…I'm grateful. I'm glad we're safe and live inside the walls, but it's just that small space. I put my head down.

Daryl put him arm around me. "We'll find a place." He spoke softer and tried to reassure me. "It'll just take a little." He kissed my temple. I just gave him a small smile. Then, he kissed me. We just stood right there on the side of the street and kissed each other.

Just then, I heard a noise like a vehicle coming and we pulled apart. A kid was coming right at us on his golf cart. Daryl and I had to literally jump out of the way. When I did, I stumbled and fell to the ground. Panic set in immediately and my eyes were wide. If I wasn't pregnant, I wouldn't have given a shit, but I have to be more careful now.

"You sumbitch!" Daryl yelled at the kid and ran a little in the street. "I'm gonna stomp yer ass!"

"Daryl." I said, my voice shaky. Daryl looked at me and realized that I fell. His expression changed to full on concern and he ran over to me and helped me up. I was so worried that I was close to tears. "Daryl. Daryl, what if that hurt the baby?" I was breathing heavily.

"It's okay. Calm down." Daryl said frantically. _And he's telling me to calm down._ "It's gonna be okay."

"I wanna go see the doctor." I said, then repeated. "I wanna go see the doctor. Now."

"Okay." He nodded. "Let's go see the doctor."

* * *

I was laying on the table breathing heavily and waiting in anticipation to see if everything is okay. This is killing me. Daryl had his hand in mine. I squeezed every once in a while.

"Everything looks good." Dr. Cohen said. I immediately was able to relax, releasing a breath that I didn't even realize I was holding.

"Are you sure?" Daryl said. I guess he needed a little more convincing. "She's okay? The baby is alright?"

"Yes." The doctor nodded calmly. "The babies are fine. Abby is fine."

I exhaled in relief and smiled, then looked at Daryl. "We're fine." I nodded at Daryl. He kissed my forehead. It was then that I realized what the doctor said. "Wait, a minute." I looked back at him wide-eyed. "Did you just say what I think you said?" He smiled. "You said…babies, as in plural." He nodded. "Meaning more than one?"

Dr. Cohen let out a small laugh. "Yes, that's right, Abigail." He nodded again. "Looks like you're having twins."

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped. I huffed with a sort of laugh. "Twins?" I was still in shock, then it finally hit me. I smiled widely. "Oh my God! Twins! We're having twins!" I looked at Daryl. He still looked like he was in shock. I laughed and grabbed his face planting a kiss on his cheek. "Daryl, we're having twins!"

"Yeah…I heard." He said slowly. "Why…" Daryl trailed off for a moment. "Why are we only findin' out about this now? How didn't you know before?" He gave the doctor a hard look. That's actually a good question. I looked back at the doctor with a questioning look.

"Well, it's hard to tell sometimes." He pushed his glasses up and cleared his throat. "Sometimes they hide behind the other. They were very close." The doctor looked directly at me. "Maybe it was a good thing that this happened. The fall must have scared them causing them to move a little. So, I was able to see the other one." He smiled. He showed me on the screen. I looked at the incredible image before me. I laid there and listened to their heartbeats.

I smiled back at him. _And here I was all worried that something happened. Now I have two babies! Well, I had them before but…we didn't know. Now we do._ "Well, thank you, doctor." I looked at Daryl and smiled. "Let's get home." I grabbed his hand.

"Yeah." He gave me a small smile and helped me up off of the table.

* * *

As we were walking home, I couldn't stop staring at the ultrasound picture that the doctor gave me. I was just in…awe. _The doctor said I'm having twins._ I never thought in a million years that I would ever hear those words. "We have _two_ little peanuts." I smiled. "Can you believe it?"

"No, I cain't." Daryl said quickly. He didn't sound angry but there was something about the way he said that. I had to look at him. "Never thought that would happen. Never ever thought. Ever." He raised his eyebrows.

I smiled. "Well, you must have a magic penis." I teased him. He snorted but didn't say anything. I didn't know if that was a good snort or a bad snort. "Daryl?" I looked at him more closely. "Is everything okay?"

He looked like he was about to say something but then rethought it. He glanced at me, then looked away again. I was getting worried and bit my lip. Maybe he's not happy about this like I am. Finally, he looked back at me and said, "I'm just a little more nervous about it, you know?" He shrugged. "Now it's double the responsibility. Double everythang actually." He raised his eyebrows again.

I gave him a small smile. "It'll be fine." I tried to reassure him. "We'll be fine. Everything will be fine. I promise." I rubbed his back for a second. "And it's not like we don't have help. I'm sure my dad and Michonne will be happy to help."

"Yeah, but…they're our kids." He nodded. "It mostly falls on us."

I let out a small laugh. "Well, of course it does. We are their parents after all." I smiled. "And it's going to be so much better this way. We got double the love now."

Daryl sighed. "You see double love. Well, I see double trouble."

I gave him a look. I knew he was only joking but part of me thought it was only half joking. I didn't like the stuff he was saying or how he was acting. I mean…it's totally normal to be nervous about having kids but…he almost sounds like he doesn't want to. Like he regrets it now. The thought depressed me. I put my head down and became very saddened.

"You know, if I would 'a caught that damn kid that nearly run us over, I would 'a throttled 'im and threw 'im in the lake." Daryl said. "Sumbitch. It could 'a been much worse. You could 'a— hey, what's wrong?" He stopped when he saw me. "You cryin'? What are ya cryin' for?" He wrapped his arms around me.

"Because this is supposed to be a happy time and you're not happy about the babies and I wanted you to be." I sobbed. "I want both of us to be happy. These are our children."

"I'm happy. I am. I'm happy." Daryl said. "I'm happy about the twins, I mean it, baby." He held me and kissed my forehead. "I'm sorry." He rubbed my back and held me. I sniffled and took a deep breath beginning to calm down. I felt a little stupid for my reaction but I was pretty emotional lately anyway.

Daryl finally let me go and rubbed my arms. "How about we go over to your dad's house and tell them our good news?" He gave me the smallest of smiles. I figured he was just trying to make me feel better, but I will take what I can get.

"Okay." I smiled and wiped my tears away, then nodded. "Yeah, I would like that very much." I breathed.

"Yeah?" Daryl said softly. "Come on, let's go." He put his arm around me and we started walking again.

* * *

My dad's house looked dark and it seemed really quiet as we were walking up to the porch. There's usually something going on. "I don't think they're here, Ab." Daryl said.

"Yeah, it doesn't look like it, does it?" I said. I knocked on the door anyway, then pulled the handle. It was open. "Anyone home?" I called inside. No answer. I walked inside and checked the rooms. "Hi, Duchess." I said to the cat on my dad and Michonne's bed. She ignored me and continued to clean herself. They ended up getting one of those cats, too, that our neighbor was trying to get rid of. "Yeah, they must have went out."

"We'll come back later." Daryl nodded. "Come on."

"Wait." I stopped him. "I just got a naughty idea. A very hot, naughty idea." I gave Daryl a lascivious smile. He gave me a curious look. Before I moved out, I wanted to have sex in my bed with or without my dad and Michonne home. Obviously this would have been done at night when they were in bed. But I like the idea of possibly getting caught. "Let's have sex in my old room." I suggested.

"What?" Daryl gave me a look that suggested I was joking. I smiled at him. His expression changed and seemed to get more serious. "Yer serious?" He said.

"Yeah, come on. Let's do it." I continued grinning.

"Nah, we cain't." Daryl smirked. "What if they come home and see us?"

"We'll be able to hear them if they do." I walked closer to him and grabbed his hand. "Please, Daryl, I really wanna do this." I practically begged. "It'll be so hot."

He looked like he was thinking about it. "Damnit." He swore under his breath. I smiled because I knew he caved, he was probably horny too. "Quickly." He slapped my bottom as I walked into my room. He closed the door.

I got butterflies in my stomach, I was so excited yet nervous. We didn't play around with our clothes, for we had to do this fast. I stripped myself completely naked as did Daryl, then we started kissing. I grabbed his hands and placed them on my breasts, that caused me to moan.

"Shh." Daryl said, then kissed my forehead. "The windows are open and there's people outside." What he just told me and the way he said it gave me a feeling "there." I breathed out again. Then, Daryl put his hands behind me and grabbed my bottom. I gasped.

"You know I like that." I breathed.

"Yeah." He said. He squeezed and gently slapped my butt. "Remember, we gotta make this quick. So, lay down." He slapped my bottom again when I turned.

I was so turned on already. "Do it." I said. "I'm ready." I laid back on the bed. The window was open and you could see right in, which made it all the more sexy.

Daryl bent down and kissed my baby bump, then slammed into me. He didn't waste any time and started to really move. I was moaning loudly without trying to be. I don't know if this is normal or not but I have been getting aroused more easily ever since I got pregnant. It probably is normal, but I'm not talking the doctor about that. Maybe if my doctor was a woman but, yeah, that's not happening.

Daryl was fucking me very hard and fast. I knew it wouldn't be much longer until I came. However, I wanted to this to be very sexy, so I started thinking about my dad and Michonne getting back and catching us in the act. That would be so embarrassing and awkward. For us _and_ them. The thought turned me on so bad though. I kept thinking about it over and over, replaying the scene in my head.

Finally, I climaxed and moaned loudly. I don't care if the neighbors hear me or even if someone walked in. In _that_ moment, I didn't. It was an extreme orgasm, almost like it was delayed or something. It kept going and going. It was fantastic. I don't think it's ever lasted this long before. I never wanted it to stop.

All good things come to an end though. I lay there limp on my old bunk bed with my legs shaking. Daryl went a little longer and finished. I felt his warm liquid inside of me. He breathed out sharply, catching his breath. I leaned up a little and kissed his cheek. He planted a nice kiss on my forehead, then gently pulled out of me. He just sat there for a minute. I smiled at him still laying on the bed. "Well…that was fun."

Daryl kind of made a weird face and nodded once, then he grabbed his shirt from off of the floor. "Hot and naughty enough fer ya?" He joked and smirked. _At least I think he was joking._

I giggled. "It definitely was."

* * *

Daryl and I decided to wait there for a little bit, we were sitting on the porch. We said that if they aren't back within an hour, then we will leave and come back some other time. It's been pretty close to that now.

"I don't know if I like this screened in porch." I said randomly. "I mean…I like the idea of it, but I just don't think it lets enough air through. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Daryl said. "Not really, but yeah."

I looked at him. "I like the roof though. I like that a lot because when it rains…"

"You can sit out here." Daryl finished for me.

"Yeah." I smiled sweetly. I leaned over for a kiss, our lips met for a cute but brief moment. I giggled once we pulled apart.

I heard footsteps and looked up, the three of them were walking down the road. "They're back." I said. "Should we scare them?" I laughed.

Daryl smirked. "I ain't doin' nothin'." I laughed again.

Judith was the first one up here, she noticed us immediately. "Hey! What are you guys doing here?" She shouted.

"Cuz we gotta tell you guys something." I smiled.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Judith yelled behind her at my dad and Michonne who were now walking up the ramp. "Abby and uncle Daryl's here! They have to tell us something!" She turned back around grinning at us and gave me a thumbs up. I returned it, then glanced at Daryl. He smirked.

"Hi, uncle Daryl!" Judith went to him, she climbed onto his lap. It was kind of cute.

"HI, sweetheart." He said.

"Oh, hey." My dad said. He looked to be in a good mood, like he just got done laughing or something. That's good that he was laughing. It's nice to laugh. I smiled at them. "So, you got to tell us something, I hear?"

"Yeah." I said with a laugh. "The whole neighborhood probably heard." My dad and Michonne laughed and sat down. "So, where were you guys?" I asked them.

"They were having an arts and craft show for kids and Judith wanted to go." Michonne said. "So, we both went with her."

"It was really fun!" Judith yelled, she was still sitting on Daryl's lap.

I nodded. "Well, that's nice." There was a brief pause. I figured I might as well just tell them our news. "So, Daryl and I took a walk earlier. We're trying to find a bigger place, you know, with the baby and everything." I cleared my throat and sat up a little. "So anyway, we were walking around and some jackass kid almost hit us on a golf cart."

"Sumbitch." Daryl said roughly.

I laughed. "Yeah and I fell." Michonne gasped and my dad gave me a concerned look. "But I'm fine and so are they. We went to the doctor just to make sure and…we got some crazy news." I stopped and smiled.

"Uh oh." Michonne said.

"Yeah and what's that?" Said My dad.

I glanced at Daryl and smiled before saying, "we're having twins."

"Twins?" Michonne said excitedly.

My dad's eyes were wide but he was smiling. "That's great, honey!" We were all smiles and giggles.

"Wait a minute." Judith said curiously. "You mean you have two babies inside of you now?" She questioned.

"Uh huh." I nodded and smiled.

"What?" She seemed so confused. I heard my dad and Michonne laughing. "How'd that happen?" We all laughed then.

"I'm not going to be the one to explain it to you, kid." I said wide-eyed.

* * *

We stayed there and talked for a while but we didn't stay long. I started to get hungry, which means Daryl probably was too. I glanced at Daryl, my sister was asleep on his lap. "You wanna go?" I asked quietly.

He shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

I nodded and looked towards my dad and Michonne. "Well, we're gonna go. I'm hungry." I laughed sitting up a little. "We didn't eat dinner yet."

"Well, you guys are welcome to stay for dinner." Michonne said.

"Oh no, that's okay." I waved her off. "I already have something made, I just have to put it in the oven." I struggled a little to get up. Daryl took Judith inside and put her on her bed, then came back out.

I walked over to Michonne because she was closer to me and gave her a hug. "Congratulations, honey." She told me. "Take care of yourself." She gave me a serious look. "Now you have to be _extra_ careful." She laughed.

"Oh, I know it." I smiled.

"And you too." She hugged Daryl next. "Congratulations."

"Alright." My dad said and looked at me. "Come here." He hugged me to him, I giggled. "I'm so happy for you baby." He let me go. "Now I gotta give you three kisses." He said. "One for you," he kissed my forehead, "and one for _both_ of my grand babies." He kissed me two more times. I let out a small laugh and smiled.

My dad shook Daryl's hand. "Congratulations, man."

"Thanks." Daryl nodded.

"Take care of my baby girl." My dad said again. Daryl just nodded.

"He does." I smiled.

* * *

I sighed after checking the timer of the chicken in the oven. "I need to sit down." I said and sat down on the couch. "Man, I get so tired so easily now." I put my hand on my stomach. "They're taking all my energy." I half joked.

"Yeah." Daryl said. "Maybe we should 'a just stayed over there fer dinner. They was the ones who offered. That way you wouldn't 'a had to do any cookin'."

I sighed. "Yeah, I know but I really wanted to try this recipe." I nodded. "I just hope it turns out right and you like it."

"I'll like anythang ya make me." Daryl said. I smiled. I was about to tell him how sweet he was but he spoke first. "Unless ya burn it." He smirked.

I huffed but still laughed. "Jerk." We both laughed. I started to feel really hot. "Hm. Hey, Daryl, can you get me a glass of water, please?"

"Sure, baby." He jumped up and got me a glass and put some ice cubes in it, then filled it with water. "Here ya go." He handed it to me.

"Thank you, my love." I took a sip, it felt so good going down. I could like not drink fast enough. I was so thirsty for some reason. I practically drank the whole thing down.

Some time passed and the food was finally ready. Daryl and I were sitting at the table eating. I put some of the chicken in Ponyboy's bowl. That cat wasn't too crazy about chicken, though, he liked beef.

"Yer a damn good cook, woman." Daryl said still chewing. He wasn't even done yet and put more into his mouth. "Where ya been all my life?" He teased.

"Oh shut up." I said. Although, I was very flattered and glad that he liked it. "So, you really like it?"

"It's the best dinner I ever had."

"Okay, now you're just sucking up to me." I joked.

"Nah, it really is. I ain't kiddin'." He continued digging into it like a vulture. _Wow. I didn't think I had it in me._ I thought. I mean…I liked it too, it was very good but he seemed to go crazy over it. I smiled at him eating. "Damn." He said. "What are ya tryin' to do? Get me to go down on you or somethin'?" He smirked at me.

I knew he was only joking. I laughed a little. "Well…I did like that. A lot." I raised my eyebrows and giggled again. He hasn't done that in a long time. I remembered how good it felt.

Daryl looked at me and didn't say anything for a moment. "Why didn't ever say anythang? I would 'a went down on ya. All's ya had to do was ask me." He put more food in his mouth. I just shrugged. "Want me to do that tonight?"

I looked at him and smiled. "Sure, if you want to." I shrugged.

"Alright." He said.

As I was eating, I started to get a little bit of a sick feeling and I felt that pain again behind my right ribs. I almost said "ow" out loud. It was gone as suddenly as it came on though. But I still felt a little sick to my stomach. I just decided to stop eating even though I liked it a lot.

* * *

I got ready for bed like I usually do that night, then got into bed. It felt so good to lay down. I wasn't feeling too great for some reason and I was overheated too. I breathed a little heavier than usual and tried to calm down. I hope that it's just because I'm tired from all that happened today, and I'm not getting sick or anything. That would be terrible, especially now.

"Hey." Daryl said and walked into the room. I lifted my head off of my pillow a little to look at him. "Do you still wanna…" He trailed off and smirked. I let my head drop back down and let out a small sigh. "Well, that doesn't sound too exciting'." He teased.

I looked back up at him and sighed again. "Yeah, actually, Daryl…I'm so tired." I shook my head. "I just—I can't tonight."

He was quiet for a minute. I hope he's not mad. "Okay." He finally said. "That's okay. You feelin' alright?"

"I don't know." I said being honest. I didn't even have the energy to lie.

"What do ya mean, ya don't know?"

"Just what I said. I'm very tired."

"That better be all that it is." Daryl said roughly.

"Yeah." I rolled over and closed my eyes. "I hope so too."

* * *

I woke up with that pain again, except this time it was worse than ever. I sat up holding my side and groaning loudly in pain. _Oh, does it hurt!_ I grabbed Daryl's leg that was under the covers. I was breathing heavily.

"Abby?" Daryl sounded worried. "What's wrong? What is it?"

"It hurts so bad." I said in pain. "Ahhh."

"What does? What hurts?"

"Like behind my ribs." I pointed. "Right here."

He put his hand there like he was checking around. Daryl seemed to hesitate. "…you sure it's just not the babies?"

"No, this is different." I shook my head with my eyes tightly shut. "I know because, it's happened before." I groaned.

"What do ya mean it happened before?" He said roughly.

"Like back in December, I think. Oh!" I put my hand on that area. I was breathing even heavier now. I sure was in some bad pain. "Oh, I think I'm gonna throw up." I got out of bed as fast as I could and ran into the bathroom.

I kneeled on my knees in front of the toilet. I was close to tears because of how sick I felt. It was just like that one time, when I needed to puke but it wouldn't happen. I made myself gag hoping that would help.

After about five whole minutes of pain, I finally threw up. It was everything I ate for dinner. The sickening feeling was gone but I still felt very weak. I sat back against the shower breathing heavily.

"Are ya alright?" Daryl was there. I looked at him. I wondered if he was watching the whole thing. That would be embarrassing. However, the way I was feeling right then, I don't give a damn. "Shit. Abby, yer really pale."

I sighed and leaned my head back. "I feel weak."

"How 'bout let's go get ya checked out by the doctor, okay?" He spoke softer and helped me up. _Dr. Cohen is really going to get tired of seeing me._ "We'll take the car, so you don't have to walk."


	43. Know You Better

"It's just as I expected." Dr. Cohen said. "It's your gallbladder. You're going to need that taken out." He paused. I looked down and sighed. This is not good. I wasn't extremely worried at the time, though, because my pap had to have his gallbladder removed and so did my friend. They said that the operation itself wasn't that bad. "If you were having these problems before," the doctor continued, "I wish you would have come sooner. Now we're not going to be able to do the surgery until after the babies are born."

My eyes widened and it felt like I was punched in the stomach. "Really? I mean…that's a long time away. Is there anyway you can just do it now?"

Dr. Cohen was shaking his head before I even finished that sentence. "It's hard doing the surgery now with the equipment we have, but it's going to be ten times harder with two babies in the way. Not to mention dangerous." He gave me a serious look.

I glanced at Daryl, he looked mad. It's obvious he's angry with me. "Well…isn't leaving it in dangerous too? What if it ruptures or something? Can it be fatal?"

"It's possible but not often." Dr. Cohen nodded. "Believe it or not, I've seen a lot worse off than you. It's not going to kill you but you'll probably wish that you're dead, I can tell you that much." He raised his eyebrows. I closed my eyes for a second. "But we're just going to have to wait, it's too dangerous with the babies. You could get an infection and that's not only putting you at risk but also them." He gave me a disappointed look. "I don't know any other way to say it. You're just going to have to put up with this, Abigail." The doctor said slowly and shook his head.

I looked down and sighed. I knew after that that there was nothing I could do about this right now.

* * *

Dr. Cohen told me about some foods to avoid so I wouldn't have as many attacks. One of them was greasy foods, that explains my attack this morning because I had bacon last night, which is one of the greasiest things in the world.

Another one was dairy. I don't eat a lot of that nor do we even have a lot of that around here. So, I figured I would be okay with that. I wanted to try to avoid it as much as possible since I would have to put up with this for another like five months or so.

I was standing at the counter making some iced tea when Daryl walked by. I turned to him but he ignored me and walked right passed me. I blinked in confusion. _He must be mad at me._ I sighed and felt a little defeated. I turned back to the tea. _Well, that's his problem._ I thought. _If he wants to be immature like that, then he can go right ahead. I'm not going to let it get to me._

However, as the day went on, he continued to avoid me and I was getting sick of it. Somebody had to say something and it obviously wasn't going to be him. I went to give him a hug and he moved away from me. I huffed. Now was the time. "Daryl." I turned to him. "Are you seriously avoiding me?" I gave him a dirty look. He didn't say anything. "You're really mad at me right now?" I said wide-eyed.

"Yeah, I am." He snapped. Well, at least he's finally talking. "You kept this from me fer months. This could be a lot worse right now." He paused. I was about to say something but he spoke first. "After you made that big speech to me when I was sick, telling me that it's not just about me." He said roughly. _Shit. He got me there._ My expression changed. "Yeah." He nodded. "And it's worse fer you cuz yer the one carryin' the babies. You didn't just put yerself in danger, but them too. _MY_ children." He raised his voice at me.

"Do not raise your voice at me." I said back.

"Oh, shut up about that. I'm yer husband, not yer son. I'll raise my fuckin' voice if I want to!" He snapped.

I gave him a little shocked look. Then, it turned to anger. "I made a mistake." I squinted at him. "Like you're not guilty of that." I scoffed. "But I have enough to worry about right now." I nodded. "I don't need you being angry with me. So, stop being so immature and grow up." We glared at each other for a while, then finally, Daryl walked passed me and out the door slamming it behind him.

I took a deep breath and exhaled, then closed my eyes. _Stay calm. Don't get worked up over it. He'll be back later and you guys will work this out, like you always do._ I nodded to myself. I looked down at Ponyboy, he was meowing at me. "It's okay, my baby boy." I picked him up. He wasn't really a kitten anymore. He was still young but he grew pretty big already. "Come on, come snuggle with mama." I kissed his head.

I took him and we both laid down on the couch. He walked on me and stepped on my ribs. "Oh, ow." I said and grimaced. I moved him. "You can't lay there that hurts. Sorry, baby boy." I petted him. The pain was still lingering. "Damn, that still hurts." I rubbed it. "What did you do?" I looked at him and let out a small laugh. He meowed at me, I giggled a little. "It's okay, it's not your fault."

* * *

I felt so tired and comfortable that I must have fallen asleep. It was evening now, it was still a little light outside but it would be dark soon. "Daryl." I called. He never answered. I slowly got up and stretched a little. "Daryl." I called again. He wasn't there. Then, I remembered about our argument. He must still be out. I hope he comes home soon.

I wanted to take a shower, but I was worried about if I fell or something and no one was here. So, I decided to make some dinner instead. I figured I would make pasta. We had a lot of noodles, after all. We will have Alfredo, I opened a jar of cheese sauce. I had a good idea just then. _I can use the leftover chicken from yesterday in the Alfredo!_ I smiled. I can't even remember the last time I had chicken Alfredo. It's going to be good.

So, I made dinner. In the time that it took to make, Daryl still wasn't back. I waited and waited but eventually said, _screw it_ and just ate by myself. Technically, I wasn't completely alone. I had Ponyboy there with me.

When I was done, I cleaned up a little and put the pasta in the fridge. I was pretty tired after that so I decided to just go to bed. I wrote Daryl a quick note about there being pasta for dinner and left it on the table.

I was feeling very worn out and a little dizzy for some reason. _Maybe Daryl isn't coming home._ I thought as I laid down. _He'll be back tomorrow._ I told myself. He's just doing what I did that time when I was mad about the alcohol. I slept at Glenn and Maggie's that night. So, he will be back. I closed my eyes. "Goodnight, love." I said out loud.

* * *

I nervously tapped my fingers on the table. It was the next morning and Daryl still hadn't come home. I was beginning to get worried about where he is and why he hasn't come back yet. I still had faith that he would come back eventually, but I didn't like that it was taking him this long. _What could he be doing?_ I had no idea.

What I did know was that I had to stay calm, it's not good for me or the babies. I put my hand over my stomach and seemed to calm down. I smiled down at them and rubbed a little.

I decided to make pancakes, I only made enough for me. They tasted great. I wanted to have eggs but I had to stay away from fried, greasy foods. I had to watch what I'm eating with my gallbladder and everything. I glanced down at my note that I left for Daryl. I started to feel bad again.

I want him here with me, I hated all this arguing and negativity. It's bad for us and it's bad for them. I became saddened and played with the note. _No._ I suddenly thought. _I'm not letting this happen to us. This is stupid._ I'm going to be the bigger person and go find him. We need to talk.

I quickly finished the last of my pancakes, then threw the plate in the sink. I will take care of all that shit when I get back. I slipped my shoes on and headed out the door.

* * *

I walked around for a long time trying to find Daryl. I even asked a few people that knew us if they saw him. They didn't. I went up to the front of the gate to ask whoever was on watch if Daryl went out. They also said no, that they didn't see him. But they told me to ask Rita because she was on watch last night and he might have left then. She was working up at the clubhouse now. _Damnit. This is going to be harder than I thought._

I went back the way that I came and headed towards the clubhouse to find Rita. I walked inside and looked around. I realized then that this was the first time that I was in here. This place was pretty nice. I never went to any events or anything. That's probably going to change in a few years when the twins are older. I will be going to events with them just like my dad and Michonne does with Judith.

I walked up to a woman that was writing stuff. "Rita?" I said.

"Oh, hello." She smiled at me. "Abby, right?"

"Yes, that's me." I let out a small laugh, then became serious again. "You were on watch last night, right?"

"Yes, I was." She said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was wondering if you saw Daryl leave?" I questioned her.

"Who?" She looked at me more closely.

"Daryl." I repeated. "Daryl Dixon. He's my husband." I nodded.

"Oh, I don't think so." She said. "I don't remember anyone leaving last night, to be honest."

I sighed. _I guess that's a good thing though. That means, he's not out there._ I nodded. "Thank you." I left the clubhouse.

 _Where do I go now?_ I looked around. "Abby?" I heard someone say. It sounded like a girl, but I didn't see anyone. "Abby, is that you?" I heard footsteps and turned around. It was Paige. My shoulders slumped.

"Oh, hey, Paige." I said apathetically.

"Holy shit." She said walking over to me. "How far along are you?"

"A little over four months." I said. "And I just found out yesterday that I'm having twins." I smirked.

I watched her expression change twice. "No wonder you're so fat already." She smirked.

I really wanted to deck this girl. "Yeah, thanks." I turned. "I don't have time to talk though. I have some important stuff to take care of. I'm looking for my husband."

"You mean Daryl?" Paige said and scoffed. "I just saw him." I looked at her wide-eyed. "He was over there at a pavilion talking to a woman with short, gray hair."

 _What? No._ I looked where she was pointing, then back at her, then headed over there. I couldn't believe my eyes. Paige was right! There he was…with Carol! They appeared to be talking, Daryl looked stressed. Carol rubbed his back just then. My jaw dropped. I stood there for a minute, then turned and hurried back home.

I was so mad I couldn't even see straight. _What the hell does he think he's doing?_ I got myself a glass of water and immediately drank it down. I know they were always good friends, but I'm his wife! He comes to _me_ with problems, not anyone else! Let alone another woman. I was pissed. I could kill him right now. _Just wait until he gets home!_

* * *

I was cleaning up the kitchen area when I heard the door open. I didn't acknowledge him at all. "Hey." Daryl said. "I thank we need to talk." I didn't say anything. "Abby?" I continued to do the dishes. I heard him sigh. "Yer mad, I know." He started to say. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't come home last night. But I was doin' somethin' really important that I thank yer gonna like." I scoffed. "Abby? Will ya please just look at me?"

I finally turned around to face him. I was calm, way calmer than before. "I don't think I want to talk you right now, Daryl. I really don't think I do." I put the last plate in the strainer, then pulled the plug and let the water drain. Then, I wiped my hands on a towel. I turned back around to face him briefly. He was giving me a curious look. "I'm going to lay down." I threw the towel on the counter and walked into our room without another word or even a glance.

I laid down on the bed and curled up. It was about five minutes later that Daryl came in there. He sat down next to me where I was laying. "I know yer mad at me, but please just listen fer a minute."

"Why were you with Carol?" I snapped. He looked taken aback. "I saw you two." I nodded. "I went looking for you because I was worried, and I saw you guys at that pavilion. Did she make you feel better, Daryl? Huh?" I didn't hide my anger and I didn't hold back. "She just has all the answers, doesn't she? I guess I don't do that enough for you. I can't make you feel better like _she_ can."

"Abby." Daryl was shaking his head. "We was just talkin'. She's my friend."

"Yeah, and I'm your wife." I snapped back. "I guess that doesn't mean anything to you though." I couldn't read his expression. " _I'm_ the one you come to about problems. _I'm_ the one who makes you feel better about things. _We_ work things out!" I was getting choked up now, I couldn't help it. I sniffled.

"Abby, please just—

"You don't know how bad you've hurt me." My voice cracked. "I don't even want to look at you right now, Daryl Dixon." I rolled over facing away from him. "Just go away. Leave." I started to cry.

Eventually, I felt him get up and slowly walk out of the room, then close the door. I sobbed hard into the pillow.

* * *

I stayed in our bedroom for about an hour when Daryl came back into the room. I wasn't crying anymore, but I was still extremely sad. "I, uh…made ya some tea." Daryl said. "It has honey in it. I know ya like that."

"Thank you." I said.

Daryl sat the cup of tea on the end table, then sat down on the side of the bed. I didn't chase him away this time. I felt his hand on my back, then it slowly started to move. For a while, neither of us said anything. "I'm sorry." Daryl said quietly breaking the silence. "If it makes ya feel any better, we wasn't talkin' about you. We was just…talkin' about the twins." Daryl continued after I didn't say anything. "I told 'er I'm nervous…cuz I don't thank I'll make a good dad." He shrugged. "I just didn't say nothin' to you about it cuz ya got upset the other day. I didn't wanna upset ya no more. But I did anyway." He put his head down.

I didn't know what to say. What he just informed me about makes sense, but it doesn't change how I feel. The damage was already done. I started to cry a little again.

"Do you want me to leave?" He asked quietly.

I sniffled and looked up at him. "No." I finally spoke. "No, lay down with me." I grabbed his arm and pulled him. He laid next to me like I wanted. I moved his hair out of his face.

For a while no one said anything. "I hate this." I said. "I hate arguing."

Daryl nodded. "Me too."

"Can we please promise not to do that around the twins?" I don't want my kids to have to hear that. It's a bad environment to grow up in.

"Yeah, no arguin'." Daryl nodded again. "I promise."

I forced a smile and moved closer to him putting my face in his neck. He held me like that. "I love you."

There was a brief pause. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm real sorry." He nodded. "That won't happen again, I promise." He kissed my forehead.

I lifted my head so that I could look at him. "Daryl, I don't care if you talk to Carol. I know she's your friend. But when something's bothering you, any little problem at all, I wanna know about it. _I'm_ your wife." I was feeling emotional again. "I mean…we've known each other for how long now and it feels like I still don't even know you." I gave him a pleading look. "I don't want anyone else to know you better than I do. And same with the other way around. Imagine how you felt when I didn't tell you about being sick. What if I would have told one of my guy friends before you?"

"Okay." Daryl finally said. "I get it." He nodded. "I would wanna punch that guy in the throat. I understand where yer comin' from. I mean it." He planted a long kiss on my forehead. "But I know how to make it up to ya." He said. I gave him a questioning look. "I have a surprise fer you." Daryl said, then sat up. "Come on." He put his hand out to me. I was a little confused, but I eventually took it. He helped me up and led us towards the door.

"Where are we going?" I asked him.

"You'll see." He glanced at me and smiled. "I got's somethin' to show ya. Don't ask no more questions til we get there."

"But where? Where are we going?"

He sighed. "I said, you'll see." I was still confused but, of course, I trusted him and just followed where he took us.

* * *

"We gotta hurry, we's losin' daylight." Daryl said and hurriedly us along. I still had no idea where he was taking me, and he didn't let on at all about it either. Part of me was annoyed, a bigger part was confused and another part of me was a little excited.

"Daryl." I scolded him. "By the time we get…wherever it is that you're taking me, it's _going_ to be dark."

"That's why we gotta be quick." He said. I almost rolled my eyes.

Daryl took us to the back of Pine Lane and then out of the campground. We were headed for the woods now. I was even more confused now than I was before. _Shouldn't it be the other way around? I mean…I should be able to start piecing things together but…I was completely lost here._ I had no idea what to even think he was taking me to see.

We walked farther into the woods. "It's just up here." Daryl said. "We's real close now." We walked a little farther, he pushed branches and such out of our way. I was super itchy and a little sweaty and tired by the time he stopped us. "Alright, ready?" He said.

"I've been ready since you told me at home." I said.

He let out a small laugh. "Well, get ready to get excited cuz here we are." He shined the flashlight ahead of us, I looked and saw a cabin in the woods. At least that's what I think it was.

"Uh…" I was still confused. "A cabin?" I said.

"Yeah." Daryl said. "It's our new home. Well…it's _gonna_ be our new home." I gave him a weird look. "Come on, take a closer look." He grabbed my hand and we walked closer. "I found this yesterday after I left after we had that argument." He stated. "What do ya thank? Ain't it nice? And it's only right outside the community."

I was looking around at it. "Yes, it's very nice." It was a nice place. However, I was wondering how we would be able to live here. I wanted to just ask him but I was afraid I would burst his bubble or something.

"Wanna look around inside?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah, sure." I said.

We went inside the cabin. It was very dark in there, but we could see just enough with Daryl's flashlight. "This is the kitchen." He said.

"You've already been in here?" I asked him.

"Yeah. I checked it." He said quickly, then handed me the flashlight. "Go ahead, check it out. See fer yerself." He nodded.

I gave him a questioning look before taking the flashlight. I began walking around in the different rooms. The living room was beautiful and very spacey. I spotted a door and opened it, there was a bedroom behind it. It was very nice. The next room I saw was the bathroom, then there was a pretty long hallway and three doors at the end. One was a closet, two were bedrooms. I opened all of them and checked. The house also had a den or something like that. It was gorgeous, I had to admit. But how…?

I went back the way I came to find Daryl and stopped in the first bedroom to take another look. It was a very nice room. "That's the master bedroom." Daryl said almost causing me to jump. I didn't even hear him walk over to me. I swallowed hard and turned to him. "Come on, I want to show you what would be the back yard." He led us back outside and showed me the areas. "So…what do ya thank?" He gave me a smile. It was weird, he seemed like really happy about this.

"It's nice. Very nice. But…" I trailed off. I wanted to just ask how in the world we would do this. I mean…the house has no utilities.

"But what?" Daryl questioned me. I nervously bit my lip. I didn't want to offend him because he seemed almost…passionate about this. "Just speak yer mind." He told me.

 _Well, in that case…_ I cleared my throat. "I love it." I said and nodded. "It's a beautiful house but, Daryl, how do we do this? What do we do for utilities? And even though its's very close to the walls of Pine Lane, it's not _in_ the walls of Pine Lane, which means we're not safe." I shook my head.

"Abby—

"I mean…I know _we're_ both capable but…with two little kids? Two little, curious kids?" I raised my eyebrows. "They're gonna wanna wander around. There's no way."

"Abby." Daryl tried again.

"And what about food and supplies? If we're not part of the community anymore, then we can't be using their stuff. We'll be on our own. Which, again, will be fine for you and I but…it's not just us." I put my hand over my stomach.

"Abby, listen to me." Daryl said. I decided to give him my attention this time. "I already got it all sorted out." He cleared his throat and took a step closer to me. _What does he mean by that?_ "I talked to some people. Craig's gonna do the plumbing, Tom's gonna take care of the water and Mark's gonna do the electricity."

 _Well, that shut me up._ I was trying to form words but it wasn't coming out right. "Is that what you were talking to Carol about earlier? To get Mark to help with the house?" I finally said.

"Part of it." Daryl replied.

 _I'm an asshole._ I put my head down for a moment taking everything in. "Okay. So, that solves the utility problem." I spoke again. "What about the walls? What do we do for protection?" I gave him a look then. _Try to explain that one, Daryl!_

"They been talkin' about expandin' the community." He said. "Buildin' the walls around this whole area, maybe even further. And they wanna add more homes. Not trailers either, actual houses." He paused and we just stared at each other for a moment. "I'm gonna run it by them once we get the house set up about the walls." He nodded.

 _Oh. That's a pretty good explanation._ I blinked a few times, then my eyes glazed over. "Well…I love the idea of it. But…are you sure about this, Daryl? I mean…it's gonna be a lot of work. Are you sure it's worth all this?"

"Don't you worry about that." Daryl came closer to me and wrapped his arms around me. "You just worry about takin' care 'a yerself and the twins. We're gonna handle everthang." He nodded. "And I don't care how much it's gotta take. Yer worth it to me." He rubbed my face with his thumb. "I'd do anythang fer you."

I felt something run through me when he said that, and I just looked at him wide-eyed. That was quite a speech, and I loved every word of it. _How could you not?_ I love this man with all my heart. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have him in my life.

"I just need to know if yer happy with this?" He asked again. "Do _you_ want this?"

I thought about his question and everything he told me, taking it all in. This would be amazing if we pulled it off. That cabin is gorgeous inside and it's a perfect space for us. There's three bedrooms. Daryl and I will obviously have the master bedroom. The twins can sleep in the same room, and there's an extra room even if we wanted to have another kid someday. Or if the twins aren't the same sex, then they can just have the different rooms once they get to a certain age. And we could still have a third kid if we wanted because they could just move in with their sibling depending on what gender they were. Sounds like it's all figured out. I would be an idiot not to go along with it. I smiled. "Yes." I finally said. "I love it. Let's do it."

"Yeah?" Daryl said.

"Yeah." I smiled at him. "I mean…we might be out of our minds but…let's do it." I smiled at him again. He kissed me long and hard after that. We stood right there in the woods not caring about anything except each other.

We finally pulled apart. "Hey." I said. "Let's go christen our new home." I smiled and grabbed his hand. "Come on. Sex me up." I giggled.

"Yes, ma'am." Daryl said. He lifted me causing me to giggle again and carried me into the house while kissing me the whole time. He kicked the door closed with his foot. Then, he carried me over to the couch and laid me down. We just stared at each other for a minute.

"I love you." Daryl finally said.

"I love you, too." I smiled up at my man.

I was so happy in that moment. I was so excited for us and this new project that we could work on together. It could be just like a normal time putting our house together. We could even decorate it differently if we wanted to. And I couldn't wait to live here in our new home and raise our family.


	44. Through The Months

I was laying on our bed waiting for Daryl to come back into the room. He's already been gone for a long time. Part of thought about going to help him, but he said he got it and that I did enough today already. My head shot up when I heard footsteps, then I saw him emerge into the room. "Did you do it?" I asked wide-eyed.

"Yup." Daryl said and sighed. "Got both of them to sleep." He glanced at the clock. "We got about twenty minutes before one them wakes up again."

I nodded. "So, are we gonna…" I gave him a smirk.

"Yeah, sure. Just gimme a minute." He laid down on the bed. I copied his movement and laid next to him. Before we knew it, we were both asleep. _So much for sexy time._

I was awakened by crying shortly after. Glancing over at Daryl, he was awake as well and he looked tired as hell. His eyes looked red to me. Then, I looked at the clock, it was only about have the time that Daryl said we had. "Oh." I said. "I guess it's my turn." I said slowly getting up.

I walked into the twins room and saw which one was crying. I went to her. "What's wrong, LB?" I asked her and picked her up. I gently rocked her. It didn't seem to be doing anything for her. "Aw, are you hungry?" I took her with me as I got a bottle out of the fridge and began warming it up in hot water. "Don't worry, it'll just be a little while." I held her close.

When the bottle was ready, I sat down and began feeding her. I decided not to breast feed. I don't know why, I just wanted to do it this way. I mean…I still fed them my breast milk, I just used a beast pump instead of nursing them. I smiled down at my little girl.

The twins were born on September 16th. We had a girl and a boy, not identical. Daryl let me name both of them, he said he wasn't good with names. I named the girl Lori-Beth, who we call LB, after my mom and after Beth because she was my best friend. Everybody loved that name. And the boy, of course, I named Dallas just like I said I was going to.

I had to have a c-section with them. I was so scared when the doctor told me because of what happened with my mom. However, Dr. Cohen took great care of me and the babies. We were all very grateful for him. Afterwards, my dad and I cried because we both went through what we did with my mom, except I survived. It was a very touching moment.

Daryl and I haven't had time for anything ever since they were born. We used to have sex at least once a day. But ever since the twins…he barely touches me anymore. It's been real hard with two newborns at the same time, especially after me having my gallbladder removed. There were days when I was so sick. I'm just so glad that it's gone. However, I still had problems here and there. Daryl helped out a lot though. He was trying to be superman, I guess, and was taking care of us more than he had to. I really appreciated it, mainly because he didn't have to. But Daryl and I have each other. I missed what we had a lot, but I love my babies so much and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"You all done?" I asked LB and smiled at her. I began to gently rock her back to sleep. Looking up, I saw Daryl in the doorway standing there watching me. "Hey, what's wrong?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

I smiled at him. "I'm fine. We're fine." I nodded. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

Just then, Dallas started to cry from the other room. My shoulders slumped. Daryl sighed. "I got it." He said walking into the room.

I giggled. "Isn't he a good daddy?" I looked down at LB.

* * *

The next morning, Daryl and I were changing the twins and getting them dressed. I was very tired from not getting any sleep last night. I could tell Daryl was too. The twins seemed to be getting worse. Everyone told us that it would get easier the older they got but so far, it seemed they were getting worse and not better. I tried to just deal with it though. I mean…what else could we do?

"Hey, I gotta good idea." Daryl said out of nowhere. "How 'bout we taken 'em to spend a few nights at yer dad's house so we can get some damn sleep."

I brightened up a little. _That's a great idea!_ However, that feeling faded. "No, we can't do that." I sighed. "I doubt they want to look after two babies with Michonne being very pregnant now." I folded up the twin's pj's. "It was a very good idea though. Maybe when they're all a little bit older."

"Yeah." Daryl sighed. "Damn."

I watched him put his shoes on. "Goin' somewhere?" I asked him.

"Yeah, Imma head to the shop." He informed me. "We're outta toilet paper again."

"Okay. Well, we're out of baby wipes, so look for those too." I smiled at him, he nodded. "Oh, and you might as well pick up some new diapers because I think we're on the last package."

"Okay." Daryl stopped and raised his eyebrows. "Anythang else?"

"No, I don't think so." I said and went back to what I was doing. "Oh, wait! Yes, there is! How could I forget?" I shook my head. "Dallas has diaper rash on his little bottom, so please get some diaper rash cream." I smiled.

"So, tell 'im to suck it up and be a man about it." Daryl said.

I giggled. "He's only a baby, Daryl."

"So what? Gotta start young to make 'im a man."

I gave him a look and crossed my arms. "Okay, and what if it was LB?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

"I would 'a been back already." He said. I rolled my eyes and huffed but still smiled. "Anythang fer my little girl." He picked her and kissed her cheek. I smiled. "And I'm just kiddin'. I gotcha, little man." He briefly rubbed Dallas's cheek.

"I knew you were." I said.

"Alright, I'll see ya later." Daryl said and kissed me.

"I hope you're gonna be quick. There's two of them and one of me." My eyes widened. "I don't do well on my own."

Daryl snorted. "Yer tellin' _me_. I actually get scared when you leave." We both laughed, then he left.

I looked back down at the babies. "Who's ready for nap time?" I smiled real big. Dallas started to cry. I sighed. "Maybe later." I giggled while picking him up.

* * *

Now that the twins were a month old, we were able to do a little more. Things were still hard, of course, Daryl and I were still exhausted and didn't get much sleep, but things were getting a bit better. They slept a little longer each night and we didn't have to get up as often to take care of them.

I have noticed that they really seem to like it when we talk to them; maybe not _like_ it but they are definitely intrigued by it. Although, they probably have no idea what we are saying, their eyes seem to light up when we talk, especially with me, and they get excited. So, we involve them in our conversation as much as we can, of course, when it's appropriate. It makes both of us very happy. It's so interesting and amazing watching these babies grow and develop before our eyes.

For instance, I heard that babies have "sensitive noses" at this age. So, what I have been doing is setting up different scents in the house. They recognize ones that they like and dislike. Some of the scents I have been using are vanilla, cinnamon and banana. They both seem to like the smell of vanilla but LB hates the cinnamon and Dallas isn't too fond of the banana. It's pretty funny actually. Daryl thinks that I'm torturing them with smells, that's not the way I look at it. I find it very interesting.

Another little activity they enjoy is going outside and looking at flowers. I guess the bright colors are appealing to them. They like the feel of them too. I have fun with putting it on their skin and trailing it along so they get a nice feel. They like it, I love seeing their little smiles. Also, sometimes they like the smell and sometimes they don't.

Another thing that the twins enjoy is having their little legs moved for some reason. Daryl and I will each take one of them and then switch. But we lift their little legs and make them move like they are pedaling a bike. They get real excited and smile. It's just about the sweetest thing I have ever seen. I never thought I could love someone like I love my children.

The one day, Daryl had both of them laying on a blanket on the floor and started dragging the blanket around taking them on a little ride around the house. I was a little worried at first, I thought maybe they weren't old enough for that kind of thing yet, but once I saw their little faces, I just laughed and laughed. It was the cutest thing ever!

"Whoa!" I said. "You having fun?" I said to them. "Is that fun? Huh?" They were very excited. I looked at Daryl and smiled. I think he was just as amazed as I was. Also, Daryl was worried about not being a good dad and that they wouldn't like him. Well, he's the best dad and they love him.

I made two of those things that hang above a crib and spins. We both had no idea what they were called. But I made them myself out of paper and string. The twins find them very appealing and stare at them before falling asleep. I actually think they help them to get tired and sleep better. It's crazy how some things work like that.

* * *

The babies are two months now and they try to grab and hold things. They are not exactly there yet but they will be soon. I like to play a little game with them where I have one of their toys and let them try to reach for it, then I pull it away. It makes them smile and keeps them interested. We all know babies attention spans are like nothing at this age.

They have been getting better at sleeping and staying asleep. However, the one night, Lori-Beth cried all night. Daryl nor I could get her to stop. It was horrible because we didn't know what was wrong and we just wanted to help her. There was nothing we could do but hold her, we tried everything. It was heartbreaking. And we were both like dead people the next day from being so tired.

I took up playing a sound game with them with my iPod. I would pick different songs and play a little bit of them to see what their reactions were to the music. LB seemed to like more of them than Dallas. However, they both only like some of my music, there was a lot that they didn't. For instance, if they didn't like a song they would get upset and even sometimes cry until I changed it.

"I don't thank they wanna listen to yer music." Daryl told me.

"Yeah, they don't seem to like it, do they?" I said with a laugh.

"Well, that's just cuz they're normal."

"Oh, shut up." I threw a pillow at him, then we both laughed.

Another time, Dallas wouldn't stop crying and we didn't know what was wrong. Luckily, this was during the day and not at night. I was still at my breaking point though. I just didn't know what to do anymore. Thankfully, Daryl came through like the hero that he is and saved the day.

"I heard somewhere that babies like skin on skin." He said. He pulled his shirt off then held Dallas close to him. I watched him gently rocking our baby boy. Eventually, Dallas stopped crying and went to sleep. I was amazed and kind of turned on watching Daryl take care of our children…and shirtless. I smiled at him and watched him playing with the twins. How he would hold them up in the air. We tried to have sexy time after that, but we constantly had to keep stopping to help the twins. You could say that, we weren't having much luck with sex. It was pretty rough.

However, the one night…the twins actually stayed asleep long enough for us to have sex. It was fantastic! It's been so long and exactly what I needed. What we both needed. I was so happy in that moment.

* * *

When the babies were three months, they were able to understand a little more of what was going on around them. "Pop goes the weasel!" I said surprising the twins with one of their toys. Their eyes would get big and they would smile whenever they saw it. It was just adorable. I enjoy spending my time with them and love watching them improve everyday. I can see why Glenn and Maggie kind of stayed away for a while and it was just them two with little Hershel. I love my little family and I wouldn't want to spend my time doing anything else.

They have started to take an interest in hearing things like banging on pots and pans. Although they are still pretty far away from doing it themselves, they can still get excited about the noise. So, I have been sitting on the floor with both of them on my lap and I will bang on some containers and stuff like I'm playing the drums.

"Oh God." Daryl said roughly. "Don't encourage 'em to do that. That's all they'll wanna do and we'll have to listen to it all day."

I just laughed. "You're such a buzzkill." I looked down at Dallas. "Isn't daddy a buzzkill, Dallas?" I spoke sweetly. He got excited. "He agrees." I looked back at Daryl. He snorted and I giggled.

LB and Dallas can finally hold their heads up steady now. I was happy when I saw that that I cheered and cheered for them. And they got real excited themselves. They are just learning and growing so fast I can't believe it. It's awesome but then again sad and a little scary. I guess it's a bitter sweet kind of thing.

And what baby doesn't like a good, old game of peek-a-boo? It's their new favorite activity. I usually play it with them in the morning when I'm changing their diapers. It's good because I'm sort of level with them so they are looking directly at me. Their smiles get so big when my face comes back into view, like they actually thought I was gone. The mind of an infant. I just smile all the time now.

We dropped the twins off at my dad and Michonne's house one afternoon. They said they wanted to keep them for a night to spend some time with their grand babies. That, of course, was completely fine with Daryl and I. And we, _of course_ , had sex that evening…and that night. We wanted to do as much as we could in the time we got to ourselves. We just couldn't get enough of each other. And we slept like rocks that night too. It was great.

* * *

The twins are four months old and just laugh at everything now. Every little thing is hilarious to them. Like one time, I was holding a blanket and making it fly around like it was a ghost and they both just laughed their little butts off. It was so adorable and made Daryl and I laugh as well. I love hearing them laugh, so Daryl and I tickle them all the time.

I have excitement mixed with a little bit of panic now that they can grab and hold things. They just try to reach and grab everything that they can. It scares me that something dangerous could be left laying around by accident. We have to be extra careful now. It could happen to anyone and it is a very scary thing. Although, I am very proud of them. It just shows how much their brains are developing.

A fun and cute little activity you can do with them at this age is blowing bubbles at them. They try to reach out and grab the bubbles, and they get this cute little confused look on their faces when the bubbles pop. "Where'd it go?" I say and gasp. Then I blow some more at their little arms and legs, being careful not to blow them in their faces.

Daryl likes to tease them with toys and other objects. He will hold it out to them and once they reach for it, he will pull it away. I used to do that too, but that was before they could actually grab things. Now it was like torture to them because they could grab them but they weren't quick enough. Sometimes they would cry and Daryl would laugh. I wanted to laugh, too, but I had to be the "mature" one and scold him for it.

Now that they were really starting to grow, I wondered who or if they liked one of us best? Like would LB be a daddy's girl or a mommy's girl? And same with Dallas. Would he be a mama's boy or a daddy's boy?

"I bet they both like you." I said to Daryl. "And I'll just be left alone. With no one to snuggle with." I laughed.

Daryl snorted. "Maybe they'll both like you. They'd be smart to. I'on know what they'd see him me?" We both laughed. _My husband is so sweet._

* * *

"I think LB is gonna be smarter than the boy." Daryl said one day when the twins were five months.

"Of course she's going to. She's a girl." I said, then laughed. "I'm just kidding, but yeah, you're right. She's very smart, even at this young age." I nodded. "She might be smarter, but I think Dallas will be sweeter." I smiled. Daryl snorted. "What? He's a little sweetheart." I smiled and tickled his belly making him giggle.

I started showing the twins what their eating utensils are called and what they are used for and how to use them. Even though they were still too young to eat by themselves, what could it hurt? The sooner they know, the better. Although, neither of them seemed too intrigued by my lesson. I just laughed it off. _Oh well. They will get it one day._

I am kind of glad that Dallas and LB aren't identical. I like that even though they are twins, they are their own person and are different. They are alike in many ways but they also are very different. They are both beautiful little babies. I began showing them themselves in the mirror and telling them how gorgeous they are.

The twins are getting smarter and starting to notice cause and effect. For instance, when they have a cup or something on the table and they push it off onto the floor. I will look at them with big eyes and say, "uh oh." With my hands up. "It's gone. Where'd it go?" And then they know something happened. Obviously, they don't know it was them but they are still noticing something.

Daryl and I took them to the park one day when it was warmer and I took turns sliding down the slide with them in my lap. They loved it! They smiled real big and waved their arms around. It made Daryl and I laugh. He leaned in and kissed me. Once we pulled apart, I noticed Paige a distance away watching us, she looked away once I noticed her. I smirked. _Yeah, that's right. Become jealous._

* * *

"I cannot believe that the twins are six months old already!" I said to Daryl. "I like seeing their hair growing." They were spending the day with their grammy and pappy, which I was thankful for because it gave my man and I some alone time.

"Yeah, I know." Daryl said. "Crazy how time flies."

Daryl went down on me that night. I couldn't even remember the last time he did that. It was amazing, even better than the first time. And then, of course, we had sex.

The twins like to push and knock things over now. Their new thing is that they like it when either Daryl or I builds something out of blocks and then they can knock it over. They are a little bit away from building things with blocks themselves but they love destroying them for some reason. They can now sit up on their own and sit on the floor knocking the blocks over, then get real excited. I just laugh and shake my head.

Lori-Beth is attempting to crawl! She's still not quite there yet but you can tell she's trying. She will roll onto her stomach and try to get up on her knees and elbows. It's almost amazing to watch. Dallas hasn't gotten to that point yet but he will eventually. LB, though, she just wants to go! The thought almost kind of scares me. I'm just being silly though.

Dallas and LB are intrigued by the cat. However, he doesn't take to them too much. And I can see why. They try to grab him a lot. His tail, his legs, his ears. Whatever they can get. And I have to come to his rescue. Poor Ponyboy. He didn't ask for this. It does kind of make me laugh though.

I have tried teaching the babies signs. Like to make a certain sign with their hands or arms when they want or need a certain thing. I don't know how much really stuck that I was showing them, but I think they will eventually catch on. Both of them are very smart.

* * *

I started reading to them when they were seven months old. Even though they probably still didn't get much of what I was saying, I thought they would like to see the pictures. I was still trying to teach them signs, and I feel like they might be understanding more.

I got Daryl involved with playing hide and seek with some of their toys. We would hide it under a blanket or something close by them and let them find it. They had trouble with it, at first, but they caught on and got better and better.

Lori-Beth was attempting to crawl again! She actually almost has it! I watched her roll over on her stomach and she actually brought her knees up this time! She wasn't strong enough yet to hold herself up on her elbows though. I was so surprised and proud of her. I can't believe how far she's come already! It's crazy to think she will be crawling in no time. And then walking! That's a scary thought actually.

Dallas loves bath time. I bathe them in the sink because it's smaller and safer for them. Dallas loves to splash around in the water. LB isn't too fond of it though. I filled the sink with warm water and was about to put her in it. "This is gonna feel so nice." I told her. She began crying as soon as I put her in. "What's the matter?" I spoke sweetly to her. I don't think she likes water. Dallas, on the other hand, is all about it. Maybe he will be a swimmer. The thought made me laugh.

"Patty cake patty cake." I said clapping together Dallas's little hands. I just got done playing with LB, now it was Dallas's turn. They can't do it themselves yet, but they love when I do it for them. "Baker's man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can. Roll it, pat it, mark it with a D. Put it in the oven for Dallas and me!" I smiled at him. "Yay!" He laughed loudly. I just laughed with him and tickled him. They both love playing patty cake.

* * *

I thought they loved kicking their legs before. Ever since they turned eight months old, that's all they want to do. I had an idea one day and asked Daryl to find a little ball while he was out a run. He found a perfect one for them. What I do is hold them up and let them kick the ball with their little legs. They really seem to enjoy it and it's a good exercise for strengthening their legs.

The twins are already intrigued by noises. So, they love their little noise making toys, especially ones that sing. I'm surprised they still work. Daryl and I find the toys to be pretty annoying at times, to be honest. However, we will put up with it for them. They enjoy playing with them a lot.

Surprise, Surprise! Lori-Beth can now crawl! I remember how excited I was for her. "Look, Daryl!" I yelled to him. "She's doing it!" I pointed.

"What?" Daryl smiled. "My baby girl can crawl?" He put his hands out. "Come on, sweetheart. Crawl to daddy." She slowly made her way over to Daryl, then he grabbed her. "Yay!" We both said. He picked her up and blew on her tummy, she giggled. It was about the cutest thing I have ever seen.

I looked down at Dallas who looked somewhat confused. "Don't worry, my baby boy, you'll get it one day." I picked him up and kissed his little cheek.

The twins have begun to really make messes. I usually laugh along with them and keep calm even though I'm kind of annoyed. I just get done cleaning up and then there's another mess. It can be very frustrating, and sometimes I even lose my temper. I feel very bad about it afterwards though. It's not really a big deal.

Daryl wanted to go hunting one afternoon and I had just put the twins down for a nap. So, I offered him a blow job before he left. He acted all cool about it, but I could tell he was pretty excited. He wanted to take all that he could get, too. It wasn't too often these days that we got intimate with each other.

* * *

LB and Dallas are nine months old now. It's crazy that they are so close to being a year old already. Their new thing is that they love boxes. Daryl or I, whoever finds them, will bring some boxes home and tip them on their sides. The twins will get right inside. Well, at least Lori will, Dallas tries to. Daryl will put them into the box and pull them around. They enjoy it a lot more now that they can sit up. They just giggle the whole time. There's nothing more beautiful than the sound of a baby laughing.

Dallas finally learned to crawl. Daryl helped him this time and he crawled to me. Once he reached me, I lifted him and spun us around and attacked him with kisses. I was so proud of my sweet boy. He's a little slower than his big sister but he catches on just fine.

Speaking of big sister, LB wants to walk! Dallas just learned to crawl and now LB is trying to walk already. She tries to hold onto things but can't lift herself up just yet. If one of us holds her up, she can stand but if we let go, she will go right down. So, she's not quite ready for walking yet, but she's getting very close.

I have found that the twins are intrigued by their body parts. I sit with them at times and show them an arm or leg or hand or foot and tell them what it is. They smile and make sounds but it's obvious they still have a while away before talking. However, I think they are just listening to words and other sounds. Everything is very interesting to them at this age.

We were finally able to let the twins try and experience new foods. I heard that their tastebuds are very sensitive at this age. So, it's hilarious watching them eat something that they don't like. Their face twists up and distorts. Daryl and I bust out laughing, I swear. It's the funniest thing ever.

* * *

Update: the twins have hair! They had hair before but it wasn't really grown. It's long enough now that I could put Lori-Beth in pigtails. And…LB is blonde! I'm so surprised to see that! I remembered wondering what color hair they would have. Dallas's is dark like Daryl's and mine but LB is blonde. It's crazy…but I love it. They are both beautiful.

The twins are at a point now where they want to put everything in their mouths. Just everything they find and pick up, it goes in their mouths. Daryl constantly leaves things laying around. I told him he couldn't do that but I didn't get mad about it. It's dangerous for them to put something gross in their mouths.

The twins can clap now and that's all they want to do. I can tell Daryl gets annoyed at times and so do I but most of the time, I just laugh. It's always nice seeing my babies laugh and have fun. So, I won't ruin that for them.

I made a little rice bag for them to play with, but the thing is, I only made one and now they fight over it. If one takes it, the other cries, then that one will take it back and the other will cry. It's pretty funny actually. It got me thinking about when they are older and they start fighting for real. My parents wouldn't let Carl and I fight, if we did we got in a lot of trouble. That's probably why we got along so well. I would like that for my kids too. Perhaps I should do that for them too. Yes, I like that. No fighting.

Daryl and I have noticed that Lori-Beth tries to climb the couch. I mentioned before that she tries to hold onto things but she still hasn't got that down. However, we started putting the couch cushions on the floor and building them up so that she can try climbing them. She's really getting good. And although I am very proud, it also scares me.

* * *

The twins love bouncing. Daryl found a small trampoline and we let them sit on it and bounce up and down a little. Their little faces really light up. It makes me happy when they are happy. They are just one month shy of a year old now and I can't believe that.

LB can now hold onto things like the couch and walk along side it. She can't walk on her own yet but it won't be long now. Daryl and I take turns holding her hands and letting her walk, she can only do it if we're holding her up though. Dallas attempted once but wasn't too interested in trying again yet. He will once he sees his sister walking.

We took the twins to visit grammy and pappy again. Daryl and I each walked in carrying a baby. "Hey, look who's here." I called and walked in. We haven't been visiting as much because Michonne had her baby a while back. It's a little boy that they named Rick Jr. I laughed when they told me. _How creative._ It's kind of weird that the twins's uncle is younger than them.

My dad loves his grand children so much. I watched him bouncing them on his knees and just smiled. It really made me wish that my mom was here to see this. And Carl. But it's nice what we have here now. I smiled at everyone around me.

* * *

 **Merry Christmas everyone!**


	45. Through The Years

The day had finally come; the one I have been dreading yet encouraging. Lori-Beth is walking. And she's doing a fantastic job! I filmed the whole thing on my iPod. I can't believe that this little baby girl can walk already. Dallas is getting there too. He walks for a little, then usually tumbles down. He's trying his best and I'm proud of both of them.

We had a little birthday party for the twins. They are one years old! I made a cake for everyone to enjoy. However, I had an idea one day to make the babies a smaller cake and let them tear into it themselves. They had so much fun with it, and of course I filmed everything. That stuff is important, just like having fun. I think they mostly ate icing. We had a HUGE mess to clean up afterwards but, that's not a problem. That's the kind of thing that doesn't matter. The mess. The preparation. The stress of everything turning out nice. Nope. Doesn't matter. Everyone had fun. _That's_ what matters.

We have started to take the twins walking with us. We hold their little hands and they walk around the neighborhood with us. Sooner or later, they are not going to want us to hold them back. They are going to want to run. Daryl said he doesn't want to have to chase after them out here, that we do that enough at home. The thought made me laugh. They get intrigued by everything. LB saw a butterfly and almost went crazy. So…she likes butterflies. Perhaps I will start calling her my little butterfly.

Now that the twins are more mobile, they have taken to terrorizing the cat. Poor Ponyboy will be eating or something and the babies both try to grab him. One of us always have to come to his rescue. It's hard keeping them away from things. If you grab one, the other runs away. It's a good thing there's two of us.

"It's a good thing there's two of us." I said. "Or else, we would never be able to catch them." I laughed.

"No." Daryl said. "It's a good thang ya didn't have triplets."

I laughed hard at that. "Oh God. Can you imagine?"

"No." He shook his head. "I don't want to. Two is plenty. I don't thank I want no more kids after this."

"Right?" I smiled.

Even though Daryl says stuff like that, I know he would love any child that the two of have. He is such a good dad whether he realizes it or not. He plays with the twins all the time and I watch him. Usually he doesn't catch me, but on the rare occasion when he does, we just smile at each other. I get so turned on watching Daryl be cute with the babies. I don't understand why, I just love it so much.

They both love going to visit with their grammy and pappy. We try to go as much as we can, the twins are growing fast. And grammy and pappy love seeing them too. I think especially my dad. He loves the twins so much, it just puts a huge smile on my face. I was super close with my grandpa, my dad's dad. He was like my favorite person in the world. So now my dad gets to do that with my children. It's such a beautiful thing.

My dad and Michonne call Rick Jr. RJ. When he gets older, the twins and he can play together. It will be nice that they all have someone to plat with. I kind of feel bad for Judith. She will be too old for the babies, but she's still too young for everyone else. Well, I guess she will have Hershel. And she also has Megan. There isn't a lot of children here at Pine Lane, at least not around my sister's age. Poor Judith. I don't want her to have to grow up so fast. But with the twins and now RJ, she will probably feel obligated or something. I want her to stay a kid for as long as possible…but I don't think that will happen.

A few months later, we took Dallas and LB over to Glenn and Maggie's one day. Lori-Beth kept laughing at Glenn, it was funny because he wasn't even doing anything funny. She was just laughing at him, which was making everyone else laugh.

"I didn't even do anything." Glenn said. "Why am I so funny?"

"He's just funny lookin', huh?" I said to LB. "She's just like her mama." I laughed.

Glenn sighed. "Ah, I can't take two of you making fun of me all the time." We all laughed.

* * *

Now that the twins are two, it's been pretty crazy but it's a good crazy because we can do more with them now. A lot more. They understand way more of what is going on around them. They are starting to understand cause and effect and the consequences that comes after. I think they know when they have done something wrong and they have to learn that actions have consequences. It's important to start young.

Speaking of consequences, Daryl and I have noticed that the twins are starting to do things even after we tell them not to, which means they know what they did. So, we started doing time-out. At least, I did. Daryl and I discussed punishment one day and we both decided that we didn't want to use physical discipline when punishing the kids. I was happy about that. I was not brought up that way, which I'm thankful for and I didn't want to do that to our children. Daryl agrees because of what he went through as a child. He said he would never hit a kid after what happened to him. I gave him a sympathetic smile and rubbed his back. I hate so badly that that happened to him.

Anyway, we agreed on time-out as punishment. The babies hate it, so we figured it must be working. For instance, one day…LB spilled her milk after I told her not to. She has been doing that lately, she tries to spill it on purpose and I don't get why. So, I made her sit in the corner for two minutes. She cried the whole time, I had to smirk. That probably felt like an hour to her.

Afterwards, I told her, "that's what happens when you spill your milk on purpose," then I gave her a hug and kiss. She started playing again like nothing happened. I just laughed and shook my head at them. I don't remember being that age, but I do remember time-out. My mom did time-out way more than my dad. My dad never liked punishing us. Well, no parent likes punishing their child but I just mean my dad was a softy, especially with me. I smiled.

The twins eat a lot of different foods now. I would say Dallas is the better eater. LB is a good eater too but she can be picky. Dallas though, he was kind of a big eater and he eats everything. I guess that's good. They both like bananas, which is funny because I remember when they were infants, Dallas hated the smell of bananas. I laughed remembering that memory. They both like things that they didn't use to like. Plus, I made them my ice cream and they loved it. Their little faces lit up, it was like they were tasting heaven itself.

LB's first word was "cat." I was so happy when they started talking because now we can communicate with them better. Dallas's first word, of course, was "dadda." I was jealous and a little mad. Even Lori-Beth said "dadda" before "mama." I was only jealous because I was around them a little more than Daryl was, yet he gets the win. Maybe it was just easier for them to say? Oh well, I'm just glad that they are talking.

I remembered back when they were just little babies and Daryl said he thinks LB will be smarter than Dallas. I think so too. Her speech is real good, even at this young age. It's easy to understand her, and she still struggles with words, of course, but she catches on quick. But as I also remembered, I said Dallas would be the sweeter one and I'm definitely right about that. He's so helpful. He's always trying to help me do things; Daryl too. Anytime he sees someone doing something, he tries to help them. It's the sweetest thing ever.

One time when we were over at my dad's house, my dad was trying to fix the clogged drain. He was struggling a bit so Dallas started handing him tools and such to help out. My dad kind of gave him a questioning look.

"He's trying to help you." I said. "Anytime he see someone trying to do something, he offers his help." I laughed. My dad just laughed and smiled. He let Dallas help him even though it probably took him longer to do what he was doing. My dad is the best.

One afternoon, Daryl told LB that she wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend and she cried. It was the cutest thing ever. He hugged her to him and gently patted her back. "It's alright, baby." He said. "It's okay." He lifted her off him so he could look at her. "But hey, you still cain't have a boyfriend." She cried again. We laughed.

"Well, hey, that goes the same for my baby boy." I said. "No girlfriend for you either, Dallas, my little man." I told him.

"Dat's okay, mama." He said and smiled at me. I laughed and picked him up giving him a million kisses. He was just so sweet.

Daryl and I took the twins to the pool one day. We wanted to take them to the lake one day, so we figured now was a good time to get them aquatinted with water. As you know, LB isn't too fond of the water. However, Dallas loves it. But…they were both kind of scared to get in the pool, especially Lori. We held onto them while they cried and clung to us. Dallas eventually calmed down and he enjoyed himself. So, we took turns playing with him in the water. LB didn't want anything to do with it. We at least got her in for a little.

"Maybe next time." I held her on my lap in a lounge chair and dried her off.

We went another time not long after and they both had fun this time. We actually got LB to stay in. I think she had a good time.

Now that the twins are talking, I figured it was time to start potty training. It was a nightmare. There was poop and pee everywhere and I'm not exaggerating. It's hard enough with one kid, let alone two. They ran out of clean clothes so fast these days. It was all just so exhausting and frustrating. I ran into Maggie one day at the laundromat and told her about what was going on in twin life. She laughed but then gave me the best advice ever. She told me to let them run around naked for a little while potty training them. That way there would be less messes to clean up and dirty clothes and I could get them on the toilet faster.

Maggie's advice really worked and we had our first little success with LB. I was so happy that I started dancing. I knew that there would be an accident here and there, but now we only have to worry about Dallas. Eventually though, they both got it down. Potty training was a success and we were officially done with diapers. Daryl and I high-fived each other.

* * *

I swear…Lori-Beth is the friendliest kid on the playground. She talks to everyone and you can understand her real well. She will walk up to another kid, it doesn't matter whether it's a boy or girl, and she'll say, "hi, girl, what's your name? I'm Lori-Beth." Or "hi, boy, what's your name? I'm Lori-Beth." It's so cute and funny. She's making friends already. Now that they are three years old, we let them run around at the park by themselves. I mean…of course Daryl and I are there watching, but we let them have their ten minutes of freedom.

Dallas, on the other hand, was a little shy at first. Now, he's starting to make friends though. It's so neat seeing them interact with other kids. For the longest time, Daryl and I were their only friends. Now they have friends their own age. I couldn't help but smile.

However, we had another small problem brewing. Dallas's new thing is that he likes to take his clothes off. He does it when we are around people all the time. And I know he's just a little boy, but I don't want him doing that. We had to teach him that clothes stay on and that he has parts of his body that are private and it's his business. We gave LB the same lesson just to be safe.

Now that the babies are older…they are not really babies anymore are they? I have to stop saying that. Now the the _twins_ are older and getting smarter, they have taken an interest in movies. We occasionally will put on some kids movies for them to watch. It's funny when Daryl gets annoyed at them. They are kind of hard to watch sometimes. But…the twins like them so we put up with it.

I am amazed at how intelligent LB is. The twins will be starting school in like two years and I bet Lori-Beth is top of her class. She always knows exactly what's going on, it's almost impossible to fool her. And her speech is great. She uses clear, full sentences. I don't know where she got it from? Couldn't have been me. I wasn't school smart. I mean…I was…until my brain injury from my car accident.

Same with Daryl. He was definitely smart but he wasn't exactly school smart. I guess maybe LB is just one of those kids that's gifted. I took pride in that. Dallas was smart too, he just took a little longer to catch on to things. I had a scary thought the one day that maybe LB really wasn't that smart, that it was just that Dallas is a little slow. I was worried so I mentioned it to the doctor when I took them for their annual check up. Dr. Cohen is the one that told me that LB was gifted. That everything was fine with Dallas, Lori-Beth was just a little smarty pants. I was relieved.

The day finally came that we took the twins to the lake. They did good with the pool so we thought it was time. I was anxious to see what their reactions would be. Well…it wasn't too great.

They were terrified of the big water, even Dallas. Daryl tried taking him out farther but he wouldn't let him. He was crying pretty hard. And LB wouldn't even get in the water. I held her hand and walked her over to it but she wailed. "Mama!" She screamed and cried as soon as the water touched her feet. She grabbed around my leg. I picked her and she clung to me. I walked into the water with her, but as soon as it was deep enough to touch her, she screamed and clung to me.

"Okay. It's okay, my little butterfly." I kissed her forehead. "We'll get out." I smiled at her. It made me feel good that she wanted me when she was scared. Mainly because, I remember being scared and wanting my parents to protect me. Now, I'm the protector. That feeling was…incredible.

LB and I sat on the shore eating strawberries and other snacks while Daryl terrorized Dallas in the water. Not really, but he would take him as far out as he could before he started to cry again. Eventually however, he got the hang of it. I smiled at my boys.

Daryl and I took the twins to visit Carol and Mark. We haven't seen them in a while and we knew that Carol, especially, would want to see the them. Her hair got really long. It was a little shocking to see because Carol kept her hair short for so long.

They both loved spending time with the twins. Carol said something about she missed having a kid around. I gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Ya want one of ours?" Daryl said. "We got double trouble, we only need one."

"Oh, stop." Carol said and laughed.

"My babies aren't going nowhere." I said and put them both on my lap. I kissed both of their cheeks. Carol smiled at me.

"That little girl looks just like you." Mark said to me.

I smiled and glanced at LB. "Really?" I pushed her hair back. "I kind of think she looks like my sister." I said with a weird face. "And Dallas…well Dallas, he doesn't look like anyone." I laughed, along with everyone else. "I mean…they kind of look like each other."

"Yeah, that ain't my kid." Daryl said. "You guys can have that one."

"Stop it." I laughed and gently smacked his arm. "We both have two wonderful children."

"I know." He said again. "I was just kiddin'."

"I know you were." We gave each other a chaste kiss.

Carol really enjoyed seeing the twins and I think Mark even did too. Carol is probably Daryl's best friend, so it was nice getting together with them. I feel like she likes LB a little more probably because she had a daughter before. Maybe she reminded her of Sophia with her blonde hair. Either way, it was still really nice.

Things were mostly good all the time. I would say the kids were pretty well behaved and hardly ever fought. In fact, they were very close. Daryl and I got along just fine too, we haven't had an argument or anything like that in a long time. We were both stressed sometimes, but what parent isn't? Especially now. So, yeah, things were good.

Until one day, I found out what real panic and fear was.

Daryl and I had taken the twins to the playground. They were running around and playing with each other and the other kids there. And we had gotten into a conversation with some other people that were there with their children. I would occasionally look over and around to make sure they were okay. And they were. I saw them playing and laughing. It was obvious that they were having fun.

And then all of a sudden, I looked and…I only saw Dallas. I was looking around trying to see if she was just hidden behind one of the obstacles, but I couldn't see her in the area at all. Panic immediately set in and I had one of those mini heart attacks. "Wait, where's LB?" I said out loud. Daryl looked around too. "Daryl?" I began to breath heavily. "I don't see her." I bent down to Dallas's level. "Dallas, where's your sister?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "She was just right here." My eyes were wide and it felt like all the blood drained from my face. Daryl noticed.

"It's okay." He grabbed me. "She couldn't 'a gotten far."

I was already frantic and immediately grabbed Dallas to me. "But what if—

"Abigail, she's three." Said Daryl.

"Which is exactly why I'm worried!" I raised my voice. "She can't be wandering around alone."

"Abby, calm down." Daryl said again. "We'll find 'er, okay? We'll find 'er." He hugged me for a moment. I tried taking deep breaths.

"Mama." Dallas tugged at my pant leg. I looked down at my sweet boy. "I'on feel good, mama." He said sadly.

 _Great._ I thought. "Oh no."

"Look, everythang's gonna be fine." Daryl said. "Take Dallas and go home. I'll find LB." He nodded. I paused and gave him a pleading look. "I'll find 'er." He said again for reassurance. I finally agreed and took Dallas home with me.

He had a bit of a fever, but he was fine. I just put him down for a nap and he felt better once he woke up. I remember when I was little, I used to get sick all the time like that. I just needed to relax for a bit though. I wish I could relax right now.

Daryl came back with LB about an hour later. "You found her?" I said close to tears. I took her from him immediately and hugged her. She clung to me.

"Yeah, yer never gonna guess where she was?" Daryl said. I just looked at him. "At the gate. All the way at the front. How she got there is beyond me." He smirked. "She was with Devon."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath calming down now that we know she's safe. I sat her down after that and looked at her in the eyes. "Lori-Beth Dixon, don't you ever do that again." I said sternly. "You don't go anywhere without me or your daddy. Is that clear?"

"Yes, mama." She said sadly. I hugged her again. We agreed not to spank them, but in that moment, I almost did. The thought actually scared me that I wanted to.

I put the twins to bed early that night. It was part of LB's punishment. I didn't mean to punish Dallas too, but he said he didn't mind because he was tired. Daryl and I laughed about the whole incident later that night. All worries forgotten.

The twins are never leaving these walls until they are at least ten. Maybe not even then. It all depends on whether or not we think they are ready. That thought scared me terribly, mainly because I knew one day that it would happen. I hope that's far from now. I was scared when we found out LB could open doors, but thinking about them out there…gave me anxiety.

* * *

The twins turned four the other day…and now they want to explore the world. They have been asking questions about outside the walls of Pine Lane. I knew this day would come. Daryl and I shared a look, then tried to explain to them in the most appropriate way that we could about the "monsters" and that it is dangerous out there and it's only for grown ups. That probably peaked their interest even more.

They came up with this idea one day that they wanted to go camping in the woods. It was probably just their excuse to go outside of the community. Well, it isn't going work. Daryl and I were a lot more slick than that. We set up a tent and I little camp in the backyard. We could tell that they were disappointed and not what they had in mind, but that's just too bad.

"Well, that's just too bad." I told them. "We told you guys before, you're not going outside these walls until you're way older."

"But we went to that lake that one time." LB smartly pointed out.

I was about to say something but Daryl spoke first. "Yeah, ya did and ya ain't goin' out again til yer older like yer mom said." He scolded them both. "Now we can go campin' right here in the yard or ya both can go back inside? Take it or leave it."

They both went along with it after that. Even though this isn't what they wanted, we all had a good time that night.

Speaking of good times, my dad and Michonne went on a run one day and they were going to be gone a few days so, Judith and RJ stayed with us. That was four kids in the house. However, Judith was very helpful with them. She's going one ten years old now and has really grown up. I wanted to avoid that, we all did, but that's kind of impossible now. I smiled at the two of them. They can be just like Carl and I. The kids had fun together those few days.

Michonne and my dad have already taken Judith outside. She's had a little bit of experience, but if you ask me, I think she's still too young for that. Michonne has been teaching her how to use a sword, she has her own small one now. And the girl keeps bugging me about going out on a run. I will take her one of these days…but not soon.

Dallas has a friend that he fights with all the time, he comes home with bruises and scratches all over him. It makes me mad but he doesn't seem to mind at all. I wanted to say something but Daryl says to just let them go. _Men._

However, Dallas fought back the one day and got the kid good. Is it bad that I didn't feel bad? I stayed out of it like Daryl said to. Plus, that kid is always hurting my sweet boy, and he got even with him. So, we shouldn't have any problems.

I taught LB how to do her own hair. I told her she's a big girl now and she will be going to school soon, so she should learn how to take care of it herself. She was actually happy to learn. I figured she would. Our little girl is very independent and likes to learn new things everyday. When we start teaching them how to fight and defend themselves, she will definitely catch on quick and become a badass.

So, Lori-Beth and Dallas are very close and they usually stay together even when they are playing with friends. They were inseparable to say the least, which is good. However, it kind of worried me that they wouldn't be able to be apart. I mean…what if something happened to one of them? God forbid…but it could happen. The other one wouldn't be able to bear it. The thought scared me.

So we came up with an idea to take one of them every once in a while and let them stay with grammy and pappy, and the other would stay with Daryl and I. That way, we could have special bonding time with each one. I heard that's important to do when you have twins, so that you can get to know them as an individual.

The first time we tried it, I thought LB would be fine because as I mentioned before, she's very independent and Dallas is the shy one. However, it was the exact opposite. Lori was very upset and kept asking where he brother was and she didn't seem to have a good time at all. It was pretty heartbreaking but also very cute. Dallas, on the other hand, had a great time. He wouldn't stop talking the whole time. I was very shocked at the outcome of our experiment. Things got better the more we did it though. We didn't do it a lot. I didn't like my children being away from me. It was just something we did every so often.

After that, I knew the twins would be fine on their own. They were still very close, of course, which I loved. But they were also their own person and very strong. They would be able to handle anything thrown at them one day. And that day would eventually come that they had to go outside of the community. But my prize is knowing that I prepared them for that. And that they would be strong and beat this world.

* * *

 **Hey, everyone! Happy New Year! 2020! Crazy,** **right? I hope you are enjoying this story so far! I promise it won't be like this forever, I just wanted to get through the years and age the twins. The next chapter will be back to normal! :D Please give me a review and let me know what you think! Thanks! :)**


	46. Lessons Learned And Understanding

I finally decided to take my sister on that run. She wasn't ready for big stuff, but I figured a trip to check out a store or maybe a few houses would be okay for her. She couldn't argue either. Judith had been out a few times before but as I said, she hasn't done anything too serious, which is good. She's just a kid even though she wants to be treated like an adult. There's certain things that she just can't handle yet.

"You make sure you stay close to me and listen to everything I tell you." I told my sister when we were about to go into a store. "Anything could be in there and anything could happen."

"Yeah, yeah." She waved me off. "I know all about it."

I glared at her ignorance. "No, you don't." I snapped. "You think you do but you don't." We looked at each other for a minute. My sister looked annoyed like I was being overprotective or something. She doesn't even know. I squinted my eyes at her. "Just remember what I said." I cracked the door open. "Let's go."

We went inside with our weapons up and Judith behind me. So far, the place was clear. "Alright." I said once we checked the whole place. "Look around, take what you can fine." I turned around and my sister wasn't there anymore. "Judith." I called. She didn't answer me. I immediately got annoyed and looked around. I found her in the next aisle over. "Judith!" I scolded her.

"I got it." She said. "The place is clear anyway."

"It doesn't matter. I told you to stay close!" She ignored me so, I walked closer to where she was. "Judith, I swear to God…I will take you right back home if you don't listen to me. And you will never go out again because dad or Michonne won't let you."

"Shhh!" She turned to me. "You hear that?" I listened and heard a thump. My look turned to concern.

We stayed quiet and just listened. "It's okay." I finally said. "It's just one."

"How do you know?" My sister asked me.

I looked down at her. She was getting tall, it won't be long that she will be taller than me. The thought annoyed me. "I can tell from the movement and sound." I looked around. "It must be in the back."

"I got it." Judith said and pulled out her sword.

"No." I stopped her. "We don't need to. It ain't botherin' no one." She giggled. I gave her a questioning look. "What?"

"You sounded like Daryl when you said that." She smiled.

My mouth set into a thin line. "He must be rubbing off on me then."

"Well…I'm gonna go take care of the walker now."

"No!" I grabbed her arm this time. "Judith, did you not hear what I said? We don't need to."

"But it might hurt someone." She then said.

"And that someone isn't going to be us." I gave her a serious look. I could tell what I said bothered her. "I know how it sounds, believe me, but…it's a cruel world. You have to learn when it's necessary or unnecessary to put yourself at risk…and this is unnecessary." I nodded.

My sister put her head down. "I know that. Dad tells me all the time. It's just…we lost people that way. I don't want anyone to lose someone."

I was a little more sympathetic towards her after that. My sister was a good person despite how young she still is. She reminds me of Carl at times, she wears his hat a lot now. He was stubborn at that age too. I had to smirk at that thought. "Okay." I finally said. "If it's really bothering you that much…I'll take care of it."

She gave me a weird look, almost like disappointment. I just ignored it and followed the sound to the back of the store where they used to keep all of their shipments and such. I opened the door and let the walker come out, it was real slow, must have been there for a long time. I was about to stab it when Judith came out of nowhere and killed it with her sword. The body fell towards me, I grabbed it in surprise, then let it hit the floor. "Judith!" I turned to my sister. "I said _I_ would handle it! You could have gotten hurt!"

"Are you serious? That was the slowest walker in the world." She said. "And besides, _I_ handled it." She crossed her arms over her chest. I glared at her, then she walked away. She also got her sneakiness from Carl; I forgot he was like that. I shook my head and followed her out.

* * *

We were walking down the road headed back to Pine Lane with the stuff we found in the store. It wasn't a lot. It never was anymore. If we needed things, we either had to make them with what we had or we had to hunt for our food.

"We should check a few houses now." Judith said. "We hardly got anything in that store and we should come back with at least _something._ I bet we'll find something in some houses." She turned to me. "Any neighborhoods in the area?"

I gave her a look before answering. "Yeah, there is but it's in the opposite direction of home so we aren't doing that today." She was about to argue but I cut her off. "I told dad and Michonne that we wouldn't be gone a full day. I don't want them to be worried about you."

"They won't." She shrugged like it was no big deal. "They know what happens out here."

I just stared at her. _How can she be so careless?_ "Yeah, they do and that's exactly why they'll be worried." I took my backpack off and handed it to her. "Here. It's your turn to carry the bag." She took it and started to argue about looking in houses again. "You know we haven't even dealt with what you did back at that store yet?" I cut her off again. "Not only did you put yourself in danger but you have endangered me as well. What do you think dad would have to say about that?" She stopped in the road and stared at me. I just kept walking forward without a glance.

"Please don't tell dad." Judith said. "I'll never do that again, I promise." I stopped walking and turned around to face her with raised eyebrows. "I'm sorry, okay?" She said after that.

"I knew it." I smirked.

She gave me a weird look. "Knew what?"

"The fact that you're more worried about what dad and Michonne would do if they knew than what actually _could_ have happened back there tells me that…you're not ready to be out here." I took the bag off of her because it was obviously heavy for her and slung it on my back. "You're still an irresponsible child." I let out a small laugh.

I could see the anger form on her face. "Mmm…why do you have to be like that, Abby? You're so mean to me! I-I just wanted to help! If I don't get practice, then how will I ever learn?"

"And I'm trying to teach you!" I snapped. "But you being stupid and doing something dangerous like that isn't how you learn! That's how you get people killed!" I could tell she was shocked that I yelled at her. I calmed down a little and sighed. "Look, kid…I know you wanna learn and be with the grown ups, and you will… _one day._ You still have a lot of growing up to do." I nodded. "And you gotta do better. Just because you can kill walkers doesn't make you an adult. Being responsible and cautious are important." She looked down. I put my hand on her back. "Come on, let's get back."

Just then, we heard snarling and we both gasped putting up our weapons. I looked up and around with wide-eyes. There was a herd coming out of the woods and headed right towards us. "Shit." I said. "Judith, come on." I grabbed her arm.

She pulled away. "No, we can take them." She had her sword ready.

I glanced back at all of them. _Is she crazy? Like literally crazy?_ There were more than thirty! "NO, let's go!" I pulled her and made her run.

We ran all the way down the road. I glanced at my sister at one point and she was smiling. _Does she think this is funny? I'd like to knock her upside the head._ We got to the intersection that's before the road to Pine Lane, Judith was about to run down the road but I grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"No!" I said. "We can't lead them back home. Come this way!" We ran in the opposite direction towards the neighborhood that we were talking about earlier. _Maybe Judith will get her wish and we will end up looking around in houses._ I breathed heavily and kept running. We were pretty far ahead of the herd.

There was a broken down barn close by in a field, I made us run to it. We went inside and caught our breath. "What are we doing?" Judith snapped. "Why are we hiding here?"

"Because…they don't get winded, we do." I said in-between breaths. "I have an idea." I took my backpack off and let it hit the floor, then I got level with my sister. "I need you to hide here. I'm going to lead them away." I nodded. Just stay here and I'll come back for you when it's safe. If I don't come back, run home, you hear me?"

"But sissy—

"DO YOU hear me?" I raised my voice and cut her off. She eventually nodded. I heard them getting closer and took a peek out of one of the cracks in the barn wall. They were headed down the road now. _Go now._ I nodded to myself. "Judith, stay safe…" I ran out the door and back onto the road. "Hey! Hey, follow me!" I yelled at the walkers, they noticed me and started to come this way. "That's it, come on! Right down here!" I waited to run until they got a little closer. I wanted to make sure I get them all. I glanced up at the barn and could see Judith's form in the doorway. My mouth set into a thin line. _I hope she will be okay._

Finally, I turned and ran down the road.

* * *

I ran for a long time and was getting really tired. I was sweating up a storm and breathing very heavily. At least it wasn't a hot day, it was a nice Fall day. The herd was pretty far behind me so I decided to start walking instead, I will run again if they start to get close.

I took them down another road that was headed for the lake. When I reached the water, I stopped and took a breather while waiting for them to catch up. I need to get them into the water. _But how?_ I looked around. There were some big rocks right before a hillside. _Perfect._

I had time to set up my plan. I was currently hiding behind a tree and when they get close enough, I will roll this big rock down the hill, they should get distracted by and it follow it right into the water. _I hope this works._ I was getting anxious while waiting for them to get closer.

Finally, they did. I whistled to get their attention while still hiding. They began walking over. When they got close enough, I pushed the rock as hard as I could down the hill and then hid behind my tree again. I heard a big splash as it hit the water. The idiots fell for it and followed it right into the water. I came out from hiding and looked at all of them sinking and smiled. _It worked!_ I had to laugh.

Just when I turned around, a lone walker grabbed onto me. I gasped and struggled with it, it was a lot taller than me. "Shit!" I tried to be quiet, all the walkers in that herd are just down below, it's not like they can get back up the hill though. I kicked it as hard as I could making it go backwards, it hit into a tree then fell. I ran to it and stomped on it's head several times even after it was dead.

I stood there bent over with my hands on my knees breathing heavily. "I think I got a good enough workout for the day." I said out loud and stood up straight. Looking up at the sky, I realized that there was still plenty of daylight left. _I got to go back for Judith, I almost forgot about her._ Then we are going home.

* * *

I finally got back to the barn. "Judith, it's me." I said from outside. "You okay?" No answer. "You still there?" I stepped inside. She wasn't in there. Panic set in for a second. _Maybe she just went back home like you said._

Just then, I heard a noise outside. I walked around to the back very slowly with my knife up. However, when I got there, nothing was there. I took a step outside and looked around briefly. "Judith?" I said. There was no answer.

I was about to leave when I heard, "Boo!" I gasped and turned around with my knife pointed. My sister was there and she was laughing. "Haha! I got you good! You should have seen your face!" She laughed.

Normally, I would laugh at the sort of thing. But…today wasn't a normal day. Today was a horrible, tiring, emotional draining, awful day. Something snapped in me right then. I grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH?" I yelled to wake the dead. No pun intended. She immediately stopped laughing and looked scared. I didn't like the way she was looking at me, so I let go of her hard and went back inside the barn. Sitting down on the ground with wide-eyes and staring at the floor. I didn't feel like talking in that moment.

We probably just sat there like that for about twenty minutes with no one talking. I was beginning to calm down. "Abby?" I heard my sister's small voice. "Sorry I scared you. I know I shouldn't play around like that." I closed my eyes, it's good to hear her say that. I was about to tell her it was okay but she continued. "But I'm not sorry about whatever happened to you out there." I slowly looked up at her. "It's your fault for leading them away. I told you we could take them. We should have." She said nonchalantly and shrugged.

 _Okay, now I'm back to wanting to throttle her._ I just stared at her for a minute with a shocked expression. "Damnit, Judith!" I finally yelled. "Are you serious right now? Did you see the size of that herd? You would have gotten ripped to shreds!"

She stared at me like an annoyed kid. "Language. I'm a kid. Remember?"

I got even angrier. "You don't have any clue what it's like to be out here! You don't know anything! You're just a stupid, little kid! One that needs to be taught a lesson! You cannot handle anything! You think you know and you think you can but you can't! You hearing me? You CAN'T!" I yelled in her face. I stood up straight and breathed heavily. She made me so mad right now.

My sister and I just stared at each other for what felt like the longest time. "Hmm." Judith shrugged and walked out of the barn. I gave her a disbelieving look, then followed her out. We headed back towards home.

* * *

Judith and I walked down the road without talking. I was mad at my sister and I'm sure she was mad at me for what I said to her. I know I shouldn't have gotten so mad and yelled at her like that or called her stupid but…she just made me so mad. If she wasn't a kid, if she was closer to my age…I would have knocked her ass out. I gritted my teeth in frustration just thinking about it. _Don't worry._ I told myself. _She's gonna find out one day._

Judith was a little bit of a distance ahead of me, she stopped when she got to the end of the road and there was a three way intersection. My sister turned to me. "Which way?" She said. I pointed instead of speaking to her.

Just as we rounded the corner, we could see a little house in the woods a bit of a distance away. "We should check in there!" My sister said excitedly. I was annoyed because I wanted to go home, but then I remembered about how she wanted to check in some houses. We didn't get to do that. I figured, we might as well compromise.

"Sure." I told her.

"Really?" She got even more excited.

"Yeah, go ahead." I nodded. "I'll be right behind ya." She grinned from ear to ear and then took off for the house. I walked slowly behind her. "Hey, you wait for me though when you get there."

Judith reached the house first, I was a few feet behind her when she opened the door. I noticed that she forgot to knock to check for walkers first. So, she opened the door and about five walkers came right out at us. She screamed as one of them grabbed onto her. My eyes widened, but I couldn't do anything because the others came at me. We killed them together, then I was about to help Judith but she killed the walker that she was struggling with before I got to her. Everything seemed to calm down quickly after that.

My sister turned to me. "See. I told you I could handle myself." She crossed her arms over her chest. I gave her an annoyed look.

Just then, one of the walkers that was on the ground grabbed onto my sister causing her to drop her sword. She freaked out immediately. "ABBY!" She screamed. "ABBY, HELP ME!" Instead of running to kill the walker, I hung back and watched the scene before me. If she can handle herself, then she should be able to get herself out of that situation. She continued to scream and struggle with the walker. "ABBY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HELP ME!" She slipped and they both started to fall backwards and she cut her arm on a piece of wood.

My eyes widened. _What am I doing?_ I finally killed the walker after that and helped her up. She clung to me and cried, I held onto her and we stayed like that for a while.

"Why did you do that?" She finally let go of me and looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "Why did you wait to help me?"

"I-I don't know." I said. I felt weird, almost like I was in a daze. We stared at each other for a moment. She was starting to calm down. "Come on, let's go inside and take care of your cut." We headed inside the little house.

What I did, waiting like that to help her, was dangerous…I admit it. I knew she would be okay, though. And I told her I didn't know why I did that. But deep down, I did know why I did what I did. It was to teach her a lesson.

* * *

I cleaned and wrapped Judith's cut while talking to her. "I'm sorry I didn't get there when I should have. Really, I am." I looked at her, she wasn't looking at me though. "You sure you're okay? You've been pretty quiet."

She sadly nodded. "I'm just upset is all."

I stopped and gave her a look. "About what?"

She hesitated and looked outside at the pile of dead walkers on the ground. "I don't wanna say." Her voice was shaky.

I was hesitant. "Well…we should get back. It's gettin' late." I nodded. She just got up and walked outside without saying anything. I blinked a few times before following her. _What's up her with now?_

* * *

I was really starting to worry about my sister as we were walking home. She hasn't said a word to me, just walked ahead of me with her head down. I wonder if she's mad at me? I hope she doesn't tell my dad or Michonne about what happened back there. I don't have an explanation for what I did. I mean…I do but they aren't going to understand. They will look at me as the bad one. _Maybe you are._ My inner voice said. I shook that thought. I decided to try talking to her.

"Judith." I said. She ignored me. "Judith." I caught up with her and stopped her by grabbing her arm. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She said and tried to walk away.

"Don't gimme that." I grabbed her arm again. "There is something bothering you and we are not leaving this spot until you tell me what it is." I let her go and spoke softer. "What is it, sweetheart?"

She was quiet for a moment and kept her head down. Finally, she looked at me. She looked real sad, like not sad more like depressed or like she lost hope. That scared me. "You were right." She finally spoke. "I can't handle myself and I'm just a stupid kid." I stared at her in disbelief for a minute. She started walking again. I didn't know what to do or how to react. I was just dumbfounded. I guess what I did worked though.

I followed after her and caught up. "Judith, wait. Come on now. Don't make me feel bad like that." I looked at her and let out a small laugh. "I was mad when I said all that stuff." I paused. "Look, it was a rough day, okay? For both of us. It happens. That's what I was trying to tell you before." I sighed. "You did a good job with those other walkers though. You're tough and smart, not stupid." I nodded. "Come on, you're my badass little sister." I lightly punched her shoulder. "Who gives a shit about that? Just let it go and learn from it. _That's_ the adult thing to do." I paused for a second. "So, what do you say?"

She was quiet for a minute. "Language." She finally said, then her mouth spread into a small smile.

I smiled down at her. "That's my sissy." I gave her a quick one armed hug, which she returned. "Seriously though…now you know that you have to be more careful." I gave her a serious look. "Anything could happen to _any_ one." She nodded. I was relieved that I finally got through to her. "Come on." I rubbed her back a little. "Let's go home."

She stopped me, I gave her a questioning look. "I'll take the bag." She said and smiled. I took in what she just said and returned her smile, then handed it to her.

Judith and I were almost back to the camp now. As we were walking, we heard a noise in the woods. My sister and I shared a look. I put a finger to my lips and gestured for her to follow me. She actually listened and stayed behind me this time.

I had my gun up and walked slowly into the woods where we heard the noise, telling Judith to wait back there. She obliged. I looked behind some bushes and saw what it was that was making the noise and immediately calmed down. I couldn't believe my eyes. I looked back at my sister who was giving me a curious look. "Check this out." I smiled at her. She began walking over to see what it was.

* * *

"So, what are you going to do with it?" Judith asked me as we arrived back at the gates of Pine Lane.

I smiled at her. "I'm going to give it to Daryl. It can be a gift."

"Really?" Her eyes widened, then she seemed to get a little disappointed. "I kind of wanted to keep it."

I gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, sissy. It's just better this way. Daryl can take better care of it and it can help him out a lot." I nodded and put a hand on her back.

"Yeah, I know." She smiled but I could tell she was still a little disappointed.

"Maybe we'll find another one some day."

Once we got to the halfway point between our houses, I sent Judith home and we parted ways. I went straight home.

The house was very quiet, which I thought was odd. When you have two kids, your house is never quiet. That's when I spotted a note, it was from Daryl. It said that he took the kids to their friend's house and would be back soon. I smiled. _That's good._

I took care of Daryl's gift and waited for him to come home. It wasn't long that he did. I smiled at when he opened the door. "Oh, yer back?" He said and kissed me. "Everything go okay?"

I hesitated and bit my lip because I thought about everything that happened today. "It was fine." I said. "Judith was a handful but…it's all good." I smiled.

Daryl nodded. "Good." I smiled at him and didn't say anything. "Yer actin' weird." He told me. I laughed. "What's goin' on?" He sat down and started taking his shoes off. "What happened?"

"Well…" I trailed off and hesitated. "I…got you a little present." I grinned.

"Oh yeah? What is it? A pool full of jell-o?" He smirked.

I let out a little laugh. "I'll be right back." I went into our room to get him his present, then walked back into the room. He was facing away from me. "Surprise." I said.

He turned to me and looked at the puppy in my hands. His eyes widened and he came closer to me. "You-you got me a dog?" He looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. I nodded and smiled. "Is-is it really mine?"

"Yes!" I laughed. "It's really yours. _He's_ really yours." I handed him the puppy. "Here. Get to know him."

He took him from me. "Hey, boy." The dog licked his face and Daryl smiled a little. I laughed. They were perfect for each other.

"You said you never got a Christmas present before so…even though it's like October." I paused. "I figured you could train him and take him hunting with you and stuff. That way, you never have to be alone when you go out. And for me too, of course." I laughed a little.

Daryl was being quiet. I looked at him more closely and realized that he was crying. "Oh-oh my God. Daryl, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" I moved closer to him and touched his arm.

He looked away and looked like he was embarrassed. "I just…It's just that…I always…I never…" He kept trailing off while trying to explain to me. And then I understood. He never got anything for Christmas or for his birthday or anything. He never got any kind of gift or special treatment from anyone before besides us. Me. And I know how much he's been wanting a dog. I guess it made him emotional.

"It's okay." I told him. "I get it." I hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you." He looked at me. He wasn't crying anymore. "I love you."

I smiled and touched his face. "I love you, too."


	47. How To Be Alone

"A whole cup of vodka?" I whispered to myself while reading the instructions for a new recipe I wanted to try. It was some kind of pasta with vodka sauce. I don't know, it sounded good but that seemed like a lot of vodka in this. It's been a long time since we had any alcohol in the house. It was weird having this here, I had to find some at the shop. It was a little awkward. _Oh well._ I shrugged. I wanted it to turn out right. I began adding the other ingredients.

The kids ran into the living room. "It's mine!" I heard Dallas yell.

"Nah uh!" LB yelled back. "Daddy brought this home for me! I remember because I asked for it!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did! If you want something specifically, then you should have asked for it!"

I turned around and saw them playing tug-a-war with one of their toys. "Okay, that's enough." I walked over to them. "Give it here." I put my hand out.

"But mom—" LB tried.

"Nope." I cut her off. "I don't want to hear it. You guys know the rules. No fighting. Now, if you're going to fight over it, no one gets it." I still had my hand out. LB let go of it and Dallas reluctantly handed it to me. "Thank you." I said. "Did you finish your homework?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Well, actually…I still have a bit left."

"Alright, then get to it." I clapped. "Dinner's almost ready." I put my hand on both of their heads and ruffled their hair as they walked by. "You both need to haircuts too." I heard them complain after saying that. I laughed a little.

A while back, I had Melanie train me since she was the only hair stylist we had. So, I know how to cut hair for real now. It's not a real important skill to have these days, but it gave me something to do. We are going to be here for the rest of our lives, and sometimes you get bored.

"Where's daddy, by the way?" I asked them.

"I think he's outside with Dog." Dallas answered. "He's trying to train him some more."

"Okay." I let out a small laugh and shook my head. _That man._ I thought. He said he wasn't good with names and he's really not. I told him to name the dog and he couldn't think of anything so he just called him dog for the time being and it just stuck. So…now our dog's name is Dog. I giggled out loud.

"What's wrong mommy?" LB asked me.

"Oh, nothing, baby. I was just thinking about your dad." I smiled.

* * *

"Alright." I called. "Dinner's ready." I turned to face the kids at the table while wiping my hands on a towel. "LB, go get your daddy, I think he's still outside with Dog. And Dallas, clear off the table please." They both did what they were told. Once the table was cleared off, I put the food out and plates.

The door opened and I heard LB's tiny footsteps, then Daryl's heavy ones. "Come on, boy." Daryl called the dog as he came in. "Smells good." He said. He come over to me and wrapped his arms around me. We kissed.

"Ew." I noticed his dirty hands. Looks like he was doing more than training the dog. "Go wash your hands before you eat."

"Yes, ma'am." He said and walked out of the room.

I played with Dog and rubbed his belly while waiting for Daryl. It was only a few weeks since I found Dog, but you know how fast they grow. "How's my puppa baby." I said sweetly to him. "Don't think I forgot about you. Mama got you a nice dinner." I put the extra meatballs in his bowl and watched him eat up.

I heard a noise and then Daryl say, "aw damnit." He kicked a toy. "Why we got so many damn toys in this house? We need to get rid 'a this shit."

I laughed. Daryl quit smoking recently and he's been on edge ever since. "They like their toys." I said to him. "But you are right. They're not babies anymore. We should get rid of some of them. Maybe we can take them to Rosita, see if she wants them for her baby. When he or she is born. Yeah?" When Daryl didn't say anything, I turned to him. He was staring at the counter. "Daryl, what's wrong?" He gave me a weird look, which I returned then he held up the vodka bottle. My eyes widened a little. "Oh, no." I shook my head. "It-it called for the recipe. That's it. I wasn't drinking."

He seemed to relax a little after that. I watched him put the bottle down and swallow then lick his lips. "Okay." He nodded. "I'm sorry." He kissed me. I smiled. "I'm hungry, let's eat."

We were all sitting at the table now, eating. "How's the dog training going?" I asked my husband.

"Ain't too good." Daryl said roughly. "Thank he's too sweet."

I laughed. "Oh, Daryl. Just give him a chance. It's only been a few weeks."

"Yeah, well…I love that dumb mutt anyway." He said with his mouth full. "It's kinda hard not to." I smiled.

No one was really saying anything and I wondered if they liked the meal I prepared. I personally thought it tasted great, but I favor pasta things so that could be why. I looked up and saw Daryl devouring his, he finished his plate, then got more. I smiled, at least I can count on him. LB was eating slowly but she was eating and seemed like she liked it. Dallas, on the other hand, looked to be picking threw his food. He only ate the meatballs out of his. _Good thing I added the meatballs._ The recipe didn't call for them but I added them anyway.

"What's wrong, Dallas?" I asked him. He looked up at me. "Don't you like it?"

"M-mm." He shook his head and pushed his plate away from him.

"I think it's good." LB said.

I smiled at her. "Thank you, sweetheart." I turned back to Dallas. "What don't you like about it, sweetie?"

"I'on." He shrugged. "I just don't like it."

"Ay." Daryl finally chimed in. "You eat, boy. We don't waste food. It's hard to find and it's hard to make. Now eat the food that your mama made fer ya."

"Yeah, Dallas." LB teased him.

"Shut up, _Lori!"_ Dallas said back.

"Both 'a ya shut up and eat yer damn dinner." Daryl snapped. They both got quiet.

"Daryl." I scolded him and gave him a look. I wasn't kidding when I said he was on edge. And he was probably stressed out from trying to train Dog too. "He doesn't have to eat it." I turned to my son. "Dallas, I'm not going to make you eat something you don't like, but if you don't eat…you're going to have an empty tummy until breakfast tomorrow." I warned him.

"It's okay." Dallas said quietly. I eventually just nodded at him.

"Mommy?" LB asked me after sometime.

"Yes, my little butterfly?" I answered her without looking up.

"How come daddy is so much older than you?" She said innocently.

I looked up this time and smiled glancing at Daryl, then back to my five year old daughter. "You really wanna know?" She nodded. I looked down and smiled biting my lip before answering. "Because I fell in love with my soulmate." I grabbed Daryl's hand, he gave me a small smile. "Age doesn't stand in the way of true love." I know that probably sounded corny but it was true. Daryl and I gave each other a chaste kiss.

"That's so romantic." LB said and smiled.

"Blah." Dallas said and gagged. LB gave him an annoyed look. Daryl and I laughed.

* * *

Later that evening after the twins were put to bed, Daryl and I were sitting on the couch together. "How about what that little girl said about us being romantic?" Daryl said with a smirk.

I laughed. "I think she meant more of what I said." I laughed again.

"Oh yeah, probably."

"Well, what about Dallas gagging at us?" I giggled. "That's your son."

"That's _yer_ son." We both laughed. "Yeah, I don't thank that boy will have many girlfriends."

"Maybe he'll wait til he finds the one, just like his daddy." I gave him a look.

"Then he'll be a lucky boy. But not as lucky as me." Daryl said making me giggle. He kissed me. "Come on, let's go to bed. Come on, boy." He called the dog as well. He usually sleeps with us. LB likes to sleep with Ponyboy.

"Be there in a minute." I called as he walked away. It got pretty quiet, then I heard little feet and smiled. Right on time.

"Mommy?" Dallas said. I lifted the blanket revealing the cookie I had for him. He smiled and ran over to me. I handed him the cookie, then lifted him onto my lap giving him three kisses. "Thank you, mommy."

"I knew my sweet boy would be hungry." I told him and held him close. "Everything going okay? How's school? You make any new friends?"

Dallas seemed to get quiet. "I guess so. And…no."

"No to new friends?" I looked at his little face. He nodded. "Oh, it's okay, sweetheart. You're just a little shy guy." I ruffled his hair. "You'll make friends some day."

"How come LB ain't shy?" Dallas looked at me.

"Well…everyone's different. Some people are and some people aren't."

"I wish I was one of the ones that aren't."

I gave him a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, I know." I rubbed his shoulder. "You know…I used to be shy when I was little."

"You, mom?" He gave me a surprised look.

"Yup." I nodded. "But…you know what I did?" He shook his head. "I made people laugh." I widened my eyes and smiled. "I learned to be funny. Well…I don't wanna say learned…It just came naturally."

He looked like he was thinking. "Do you think I'm funny?"

"Well, you made us laugh at dinner." I told him. "There's other times, too, that you've made us laugh."

"Really?"

"Mhm." I kissed his forehead. "And you'll be in an even better mood if you get some sleep." I lifted him off of me. "Come on, get to bed." I patted his little bottom.

He stopped and turned back around. "Thanks, mommy." He whispered. I smiled at him. _Such a sweet boy._

* * *

"Please, mommy! Please!" LB begged close to tears. She came into our room shortly after I came to bed and started asking about going on some trip with a friend and her family. There was just no way that was happening. We made a rule that neither of our kids leaves the community until they are ten, especially if they are not with us. If she were nine, I might bend but she's far from that.

"We said, no, LB." I said sternly. "You should be in bed right now. When you're tired tomorrow morning, I don't wanna hear you crying."

"I don't care about that!" She pouted. "Please! Emily is going!"

"Emily isn't our kid. You are and you're not going." I said. She whined and crossed her arms in front of her. "You know the rules. You can't go out until you're ten. Are you ten? No, you're five, which is way far off from ten." She jumped up and down and had a temper tantrum but didn't leave. I sighed and glanced at Daryl, he was just sitting there like he hadn't heard a thing. "Daryl?" I said under my breath. He finally looked at me. "Help me out here."

He looked at LB and cleared his throat. "Lori-Beth, stop it right now." He said sternly.

"But daddy—

"Yer mama said no and this is somethin' we both agree on." He nodded. "Now you yer stop cryin' right now and get to bed or…yer spendin' all day tomorra in yer room."

I was very surprised. Daryl usually has no idea when it comes to punishment, so I'm usually the one that punishes the kids but that was a good one. I almost smiled at him.

"Hmm." LB crossed her arms. "I hate you!" She said and stomped out of the room.

Daryl and I shared a look. I smiled but he didn't. "Did you hear that?" I said. "We got our first, "I hate you." I giggled.

"I never said that to my parents." Daryl said. "And they actually deserved it."

"Yeah, I never said that to my parents either…but they didn't deserve it." I let out a small laugh.

"I'on like my little girl sayin' that." Daryl said lowly. I looked at him, he kind of had his head down.

"Daryl, she's only five. She didn't really mean it."

"Yeah, well…it sure sounded like she did."

I gave my husband a surprised look. He really seems like he's upset over this. It actually bothered me. I will have to have a talk with my daughter tomorrow and tell her that's not okay. In the meantime… "Try not to worry about it too much. She'll be fine." I rubbed Daryl's back and kissed his cheek.

* * *

I sent the twins off to school in the morning and then decided to clean up the kitchen. We usually eat dinner late so I save all the dishes until morning. That way I can just wash the breakfast dishes with the dinner ones.

I used to hate doing dishes. That was my most hated chore when I was younger. My mom always made me do them. Carl didn't have to do anything. I mean…I know he was just a little kid but still…I was probably around twelve or thirteen when my mom started making me do things around the house, that's like the same Carl was when the turn happened. I don't know. Maybe he was eleven. I don't even remember now. I shook my head. Not the point.

Anyway, I used to complain about doing the dishes all the time when I was younger. I tried using every excuse in the book to get out of doing them. I think the only time it worked was when I was either sick, hurt or I was going out. My mom basically told me oh well and that I was old enough to start helping out. She said when I got a job, then I didn't have to do anything anymore. So, I got a job as soon as I was legally allowed to. I wasn't playing around. I really hated those damn dishes. I laughed. Funny thing is, I don't really mind it now.

"So, what are yer plans fer today?" Daryl asked me bringing me out of my thoughts and kissing my neck.

I relaxed a little. "Not really sure." I said. "I might play hooky today." I gave him a toothy grin. "What about you?"

He shrugged. "I was thankin' about goin' huntin'."

"Oh." I nodded. "Are you going to take dog with you?"

"Nah." He shook his head. "He ain't ready yet. Far from it actually. He'll just be in the way. Another ass fer me to cover." He kind of laughed.

"Oh." I just looked at him for a moment. I know he's only joking when he says stuff like that but sometimes it bothers me when he talks about the dog that way. I mean…I found him and gave him to my husband as a gift. He was so excited when he first got him, now he acts like he's just a burden. "Okay." I shrugged. "He can keep me company then. I'll take him for a walk." I smiled at Dog.

"Alright." Daryl said. "I'll see ya later." We kissed each other, then he left. I watched him leave.

I turned around after that and looked at the empty house, my expression completely changed. I wasn't good at being alone…because when I am, my mind starts to wander and I have time to think. That's not good.

I'm alone a lot now with the twins in school and Daryl goes out all the time. He never did like being inside. You know what I always thought was strange about my husband? He's an extrovert because he would rather be outside than in BUT he has the personality of an introvert. I'm the exact opposite.

I'm inside most days now, but my personality is more of an extrovert. I have always been very friendly and outgoing. I love trying new things and I'm very adventurous. I guess we are the odd couple.

I sat down on the couch. I should make a plan for today…at least I will be doing something. I wrote down three things, then read them out loud. "I'm going to eat lunch in a little bit, walk the dog and organize the den." I smiled.

That didn't happen though. My mind was like an endless waterfall. And to make it worse…I stared at that bottle of vodka. I was supposed to throw it out after I used it for the recipe. _Why would you waste a bottle of alcohol like that?_ My inner demon tempted me. _You could need it one day._ I wanted it real bad, but I knew I couldn't. It was just sitting there…teasing me. _What's the big deal?_ I thought to myself. _Why should I be sober? What's the harm in drinking? I mean…it's not like I have to get drunk. What's one drink going to do?_ I knew I was only making it worse. I knew that I couldn't just have _one_ drink. Hell, I couldn't even have one sip. _But why not? Who would know? Your husband? Like he's so perfect. He doesn't even know half the stuff that's going on with you. He won't even notice if the bottle is gone._ I nodded and reached for the bottle, my hands were shaking.

Just then, a bark snapped me out of it. That's right. I wasn't alone.

"Alright." I turned to Dog. "It's just me and you now puppa." I squatted down and played with him for a little getting him excited. "You wanna go for a walk?" He got real excited after that. "Come on, let's go for a walk." I put his collar and leash on him and was about to leave but something stopped me.

I looked back at the vodka on the counter. I should really get rid of that. I walked back over there, grabbed the bottle, unscrewed the cap and was about to pour in down the drain. I was smart. However, my inner demon was smarter. I stopped myself before I poured it out and put the cap back on. Then…I hid that bottle where no one would ever find it.

"Come on, Dog!" I called. "Let's go."

* * *

It was a prefect day out, not hot and not cold…it was just right. It was nice to get some fresh air too. Dog seemed to be having a good old time, barking at butterflies, trying to chase another dog and getting excited when people walk by. It was adorable. However…that didn't help me.

My mind started to wander again when I saw my old friend, Tess. She ignored me. The thing is…I was going to do the same to her, but when I saw that she did it to me first…it bothered me. I haven't seen any of my "friends" in a long time. Not that I cared, I really never considered them friends anyway. But I don't know…they were at least people my age and someone I could talk to.

So…my mind started to wander again. I took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up. I started to take up smoking again. Bad timing, I know…since Daryl quit. I guess it made me feel rebellious or something? I was robbed of that as I teenager because I didn't get to have a normal teenage life with the turn and all. I don't do it around him though. Just like, he probably drinks occasionally when he goes out. I shrugged. So, we are even.

I began thinking about how I'm home all the time. My life sure was different before the twins were born. I felt so…free back then. Now I felt like I was going crazy. But I couldn't help but wonder…did I do it to myself? I mean…I really don't think your husband would mind if you went out as much as he did. But I couldn't do that. No. There's things at home that need to be taken care of. And who would be there for the kids? It had to be me. It's just the way it is.

Why don't you have real job? He has a real job. He's out finding important supplies and hunting for good food that everybody needs. And sometimes even finds more people to bring in. He does all that while you are home trimming people's hair like an asshole. I mean…I don't really know what else I could do but…sometimes I just feel like I'm not doing enough. Like I'm not living up to my full potential. I honestly don't even know where these feelings come from. Maybe I really am losing my mind.

"Abby?" I heard a voice say that brought me back to now. It was Earl. "I didn't know you smoked?"

"Uh…" I looked at the half smoked cigarette in my hand. "I don't." I dropped it on the ground and stepped on it.

"That's a nasty habit." He told me. "You shouldn't get into that. You're still young. Wouldn't want to ruin your life, now, would you?"

I just looked at him. _Is he an idiot? I just told him that I don't._ "No." I smiled at him. "See you around." I waved and walked down the road. "Come on, Dog. Let's go back home."

* * *

I walked into the house and took Dog's collar and leash off of him and hung it up. But then I heard a noise in the back and froze. I glanced at the clock, it was still too early for the kids to be home. "Daryl?" I called. No answer. _Shit._ That means there's someone in my house. I grabbed my knife because it was the closest thing to me and headed back there.

The noise was coming from the den. It sounded like the TV was on, then I heard laughter that sounded like children. My shoulders slumped and I walked faster inside. The twins were sitting on the couch watching a movie. _Why are they home so early?_ "What the hell?" I said making them jump. They gasped and looked at me. "What are you guys doing? Why aren't you in school?" I yelled. They didn't answer, but shared a look. I became angry. _How dare they skip school and then not answer me when I ask them something._ I grabbed the remote and turned the movie off. "One of you better start talking or you're going to wish you never got out of bed this morning." I threatened them.

"Mommy." Dallas said lowly. I looked at him waiting for his answer. _This better be good._ "We-we're off for Thanksgiving break, remember?"

I blinked a few times, then realized what he said and my whole attitude changed. "What?" I glanced at the calendar. He was right, I had it written on the days. I felt like an idiot. An over dramatic idiot. "But…I thought you guys went to school earlier this morning.

"No, mommy." LB said. "We were in bed. Sleeping in."

"O-oh." I looked down. I really am losing my mind. And I yelled at them probably scaring them half to death. I felt like a fool in that moment. I really wanted to cry for some reason.

"Mommy, are you okay?"

"Go to your room." I said.

"But why? We didn't do anything." LB argued.

"Because I need a minute to think." I snapped. They sat there and stared at me. "Go now." They got up after that and quickly walked to their room giving me a side glance when they walked passed me. They probably think I'm crazy.

Once I heard their door close, I began to cry. I sobbed with my hands over my face. _What's wrong with me? Why am I so emotional lately? And where is my mind?_

* * *

"Hey guys." I opened their door and walked in sometime later. I hesitated. "Listen…I'm sorry for…yelling at you and all. I just got my days mixed up and I haven't been feeling myself lately." I rolled my eyes and smiled. I scolded myself for saying that. _Don't tell them that, they won't understand._ I sighed. "Look, I'm just…I'm sorry, okay?" I nodded.

They both seemed hesitant, I was beginning to worry and bit my lip. "It's okay, mommy." Dallas said. I sighed in relief and smiled. _That's my sweet boy._ I glanced at LB.

"Yeah." She finally said. "It's okay." I smiled at her too. I stood there for a moment, then started to walk away. "Mommy?" LB said. I walked back into the room. "What I said yesterday…I don't hate you. Or daddy."

I gave her a smile and nodded. "I know, baby." I walked over to them and gave each of them a hug and kiss. "Make sure you tell your daddy that. He was pretty upset when you said that." She gave me a look. I pushed her hair back, then slowly left the room. Sighing in relief against the wall. _That went better than I thought._ I smiled.


	48. Thanksgiving

I watched Daryl holding LB after she apologized to him. It was sweet seeing those two together like that. I'm glad that they made up. He looked so upset when she said that to him. I wanted him to understand that she really didn't mean that she hated us. LB is just a little kid, they say mean things all the time without realizing it.

"Guess what, mommy?" Dallas said excitedly.

I smiled down at him. "What?" Giving him an amused look.

"We told the other kids in school about you making us ice cream! And they got real jealous!" He grinned from ear to ear. I had to laugh. "They all said they wanted some!"

I gave Daryl a look, then looked back down at my son. "Dallas, honey, we can't do that. We don't have enough supplies for that." I shook my head. "If you had _one_ friend over, that'd be a little bit different. But I just simply can't do that for all the kids." I smiled again. "Besides, more for you, right?" I joked. He laughed. "I'm kidding. We're not selfish."

* * *

I was in bed later that night, Ponyboy was with me. I was petting him and he was all happy and purring. I wish I felt that way. I don't really remember what that feels like. I mean…I'm fine when I'm with people but…not when I'm alone.

"Hey." Daryl walked into the room. "The kids told me what happened. How come ya freaked out like that? I didn't even thank ya cared is they did skip school?"

I just laid my head back on the pillow and didn't look at him. "I don't know." I said clearly sounding upset.

"Hey." Daryl got into bed next to me. "It's alright. It ain't a big deal. I just wondered is all." I didn't say anything to that, I was facing away from him. "Everythang okay?"

I thought about his question. Things obviously weren't okay. I didn't know if I wanted to talk about this. How would I even explain it? He might get the wrong idea. _He might think you are crazy. Maybe you are._ I shook that thought. I didn't want to lie to him. I sighed and rolled over so that I could face him. "No. Not really." I finally said. We stared at each other.

Daryl wrapped his arms around me after that. I leaned against him with my head on his chest and we just held each other for a long time. It felt nice, definitely something that I needed. All the stress inside of me, all of the worry and bad feelings, the temptation of drinking that vodka today, that all needed to come out. I tried taking a deep breath and relaxing.

I exhaled sharply. "Do…" I started to say but trailed off. "Do you remember when the twins were three and Lori-Beth ran away?"

"Yeah." Daryl said. "I found 'er all the way by the gate." He snorted.

"I was so scared that day."

"I know ya were."

I hesitated. "…but I was mad too. I was mad at her, and I know she was just a toddler and she really didn't know what she did, but…" My voice started shaking. "I thought about spanking her. I know we agreed not to but…I still wanted to hit her. The thought scared me that I wanted to do that to that little girl." I had tears in my eyes.

"You didn't though." Daryl said to try and help me, I guess. "You didn't hit her. You never did. I never did neither. We didn't."

I sighed. "I guess but the memory still haunts me." I breathed out heavily again. We were both quiet for a moment. I decided that I wanted to tell him more and I didn't care if he didn't understand. "You know…sometimes I get these…uncomfortable feelings. Very uncomfortable feelings. Almost like I'm a stranger in my own body…or like being naked in front of a crowd of people…It's hard to explain." I sighed. "I've experienced them for as long as I can remember, even like as I little kid. But now…they've gotten worse. I thought that…it would get better as I got older but it's the opposite. It's at it's worse probably when I'm alone. But it was also bad when I was pregnant with the twins…" I looked at him up at him, but he wasn't looking at me.

"I'on know what to say." Daryl said. "I'm sorry."

I looked back down. "I don't like being alone here." I blurted out. "You leave all the time and-and I know what you're doing is important, but sometimes I just want you here." I paused. "It was different when the twins were younger because they were here all the time with me and I had them to look after…but now that they've started school…I just can't be alone all the time."

"Then don't." Daryl looked at me. "Come on runs with me again. We was a great team." He smirked.

"I want to but…who's gonna be here for the twins when they get home?"

"We'll get someone else to look after 'em fer a little. I'm sure there's someone here that's lookin' fer somethin'."

"I don't know. I'll think about it." I shook my head. "It just feels wrong. They're our kids."

"We'll figure somethin' out." He nodded. "We will. It ain't fair fer ya to be feelin' this way. Just…try not to worry about it too much right now." He kissed my forehead. "Tomorra's Thankgivin'." He smirked. "And I got a turkey."

I smiled at him, then I had to laugh. "You." We kissed each other. "I love you."

* * *

The next day, I was trying to take care of the turkey and prepare it. It was a lot harder than I thought. I watched my mom make it the one year but…I never actually did it myself. I hope it turns out right. While stuffing the turkey, I got some of it on my hands. "Ew." I said and wiped my hands off on a towel. I saw Daryl looking at me just then. I let out a small laugh. "You know…I never actually did this before. I hope it turns out right."

"It'll be fine." He said. "Everythang ya make tastes great." Daryl popped an olive into his mouth. I gave him a small smile.

"Don't ruin it, mommy!"

"Yeah, mom!"

"Ay." Daryl said to the twins. He looked back at me and I laughed. He smirked. "Here, I'll help ya." He helped me with the turkey.

Daryl and I continued to make food. I'm glad he helped without me asking him because I hope he didn't think I was going to make all this food myself. I mean…I don't want to complain but…there was a lot to do. He ended up helping with the turkey and the mashed potatoes. Mainly because I didn't think I would make them good. He said we could just have regular potatoes but I wasn't okay with that. We always had mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. Plus, I wanted this to be nice for all of us, especially Daryl. He never had holidays with his family and that saddens me. Holidays were great in my family. I wanted him to have that too.

I sighed sitting down on the couch once everything was put together. I don't know how my mom and grandma did this every year? I was exhausted already and a little annoyed. I probably won't even feel like eating once everything is done. Although… I put my hand over my stomach and looked down.

Dallas noticed that I sat down and come over by me and snuggled up against me. I smiled. "Hi, sweet boy." I kissed his head. "You guys enjoying yourselves? Or maybe you'd rather be in school?" I smirked.

"No!" They both yelled in unison. I smirked, then laughed. I had to give Dallas a squeeze after that.

"Mommy?" LB came over to us now. "Can we play games?"

"You wanna play games?" I asked enthusiastically. She nodded rapidly and smiled. "Well, go ahead. Play games."

"No, I want you to play with me." She tugged on my hand.

"Ugh." I said making them both giggle. "Mama doesn't wanna play games. I'm tired."

"Please!" LB begged.

I had a thought just then and smirked. "Why don't you go ask daddy? I think he's in the den." I know Daryl won't tell her no.

"Okay!" She got excited. Just as she was about to leave, though, Daryl stepped into the room.

"LB." He said. "Here. I made that bracelet ya wanted." He handed her the little piece of jewelry. A few days ago, her and Dallas were messing around and the clasp broke on her bracelet. Daryl said he would fix it but something happened and he couldn't. So, he said he would make her one instead. I guess he just did now. I smiled at them. However, LB did not look thrilled. "What's a matter?" Daryl asked her when he saw her face. "Ya wanted a bracelet, right?"

"Yeah." She said quietly and didn't take her eyes away from it. I wondered what was wrong?

"LB?" I said.

Suddenly, she started to cry. "It's not how I wanted it." She complained.

I cocked an eyebrow at her. "LB, that isn't nice."

"But it's not what I wanted." She continued to sob. I think Dallas giggled. "Look at it." She held it up. "I wanted a real bracelet. This one's made with beads."

I glanced at Daryl while our daughter stood there and cried about her bracelet. I couldn't read his expression. I couldn't tell if he was mad, sad, annoyed, like he wanted to laugh or like he didn't even care. But either way, it made me feel bad. I know how generous my husband is and how he likes to do things for others. I won't let our kids be ungrateful like this. There's no way I'm letting this go. "Lori-Beth." I said sternly. "Come over here." She slowly walked over to me with her head down and still crying but not as hard, she probably knew she was in trouble. "Look at me." She lifted her head. "Your daddy wanted to make you something nice because he loves you. So, you stop it." I looked at her seriously. "Now, you thank him and give him a hug right now."

She cried harder as she walked over to him. "Thank you, daddy." She hugged him.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." He said and hugged her back, then he lifted her. "Sorry it ain't how ya wanted it." He patted her back. My husband and I shared a look, he smiled at me and I returned it. It was to say…"thank you" and "I will always have your back."

* * *

LB got over herself pretty quickly after that and now the kids were playing with the dog. Daryl and I were sitting together on the couch. I heard Dog barking and squealing and looked up at what they were doing. They had him trapped under a basket and were laughing.

"Hey!" I said. "Get him out of there." They lifted the basket off of him and he ran. "Come here, my boy." I called him over, he came running to me. "What were they doing to you?" I picked him up. "Oh, my." The kids were just laughing. "You think that's funny? Watch this." I held Dog so that he was facing me and I howled. He tried to imitate me. They laughed. I did it again. He tried but you could tell from his howl that he was just a puppy. "You're so cute." I snuggled him to me. "He wants to howl but he can't because he too baby." I baby talked the dog. Daryl smirked at me and shook his head. The twins were laughing pretty hard.

Just then, the timer went off. "Uh oh." I said. "You know what that means? Time to eat!" I acted excited.

"Yay!" They yelled in unison.

"Yeah, yay." Daryl said. I laughed.

"Where the hell is my dad and Michonne?" I said while we were putting all the food out. "I told them dinner was at 5." I burned my finger on something. "Ow." I quickly pulled my hand away. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Daryl and I shared a look. "Well…" I said. "How about that?"

* * *

"Everything's real good, Abby." My dad said as we were eating.

"Thanks." I said. "Daryl helped with the turkey." I smiled at my man. All of a sudden, I saw a piece of food being thrown across the table, it hit RJ. I knew it was Dallas. "Dallas." I scolded him. RJ threw something back. "RJ." I scolded him now. Dallas was about to throw something else but I grabbed his hand. "We are not having a food fight. Drop it." He dropped it back onto his plate.

"Boys." Judith said and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah." Lori-Beth agreed. I looked at her. I knew she was only agreeing with Judith because she wanted to be like her, a big kid. Plus, my LB was very smart. My dad smiled at me. We had the same thought.

"Heard a group was going out tomorrow." Michonne said after sometime. "You goin'?" She asked Daryl.

I gave my husband a look, he looked back at me. I hoped that he would take the hint after our conversation last night. I don't want him going out so much, I want him here. "Nah." Daryl finally said looking at Michonne. "Imma sit this one out. They can handle thangs without me fer a while." He glanced at me, I smiled at him. I was glad, he made the right choice.

A little later after dinner, the kids were running around playing, Michonne was playing with Ponyboy and my dad, Daryl and I were talking. "So full." My dad said. "I ate too much."

I laughed. "Well, you guys can take some if you want to. Otherwise, we'll be eating turkey until New Year's." We all laughed.

Just then, LB ran into the room. She stopped when she saw my dad on the couch. "Hi, pappy." She said and hugged him.

"Hi, sweetheart." My dad kissed her. She sat on his lap with him. _Lori sure loves her pappy._ I just watched the two and had to smile.

"Guess what, pappy?" LB said. My dad gave her an amused look. "I'm the smartest in my class!"

"Oh yeah?" He said. "That doesn't surprise me. I always knew you were gonna be a little smarty." He kissed her a bunch of times on her temple. Judith came over and joined us. I guess she didn't want to play with little boys.

"Hey, let's not forget to do our secret Santa now." I said. "Everybody has to participate." I looked at Daryl. "Everyone." He snorted. "And if you pick yourself, you have to pick again."

"Maybe I wanted to get myself a gift." My dad said. He and LB laughed.

"Well, too bad." I raised my eyebrows and smiled.

I decided to make it easier on everyone and I wrote names down on a piece of paper, then cut them out, folded them up and put them into a bowl. We all took turns picking one. "I got grammy!" Dallas said.

"Dallas." I said. "You're not supposed to tell anyone who you got."

"Oh." He said.

I sighed. "Put it back in and pick another one." He did. "Now, no telling this time, got it?" He nodded. "Good." I picked last. I got my dad. I smiled.

* * *

My dad, Michonne, Judith and Rick Jr. stayed for a little while longer, we talked and had dessert. We made plans to get together next week and then my dad and Michonne were going to take the kids for a few nights at their place then, the next week, Judith and RJ would come here. The kids seemed to get excited. Judith really wasn't, but I figured she would probably hang around Daryl and I.

They all left soon after that, and we all said our goodbyes. I walked them to the door. When I turned back around, I saw the huge mess in the kitchen and sighed. _I regret doing this at our house._ I walked over there. It was even worse looking once I got closer. _Well, better just get to work._

I wrapped up all of the leftover food, then put it away into the fridge. I was already feeling tired as hell after that. I decided to take a small break and put the twins to bed. I saw them playing on the floor with their toys. "Alright." I called. "Time for bed, kids."

"Aww!"

"Can't we stay up a little longer, mommy?" LB begged.

"No, you cannot." I said flatly. "Come on." I clapped. "Go brush your teeth, get your pj's on and into bed. I'll be in there in a few minutes to say goodnight." They both walked passed me down the hall with disappointed looks on their faces.

That struck a nerve so I took a deep breath. _Since when do you care about stupid stuff like this? What the hell happened to you?_ Those thoughts hurt me so bad that it felt like actual pain in my chest. I took another deep breath and got myself some water. I drank that down and then another. I must just be thirsty from all of that salty food.

After about ten minutes, I went into the twins's room to say goodnight to them like I said. "Come here, my little butterfly." I said and kissed LB. I moved over to the other side of the room. "And of course, my sweet boy." I kissed him as well and fixed his blankets. "Okay, you both good? Teeth brushed?" They nodded. "No one has to go to the bathroom, no one needs a drink of water?" They shook their heads. "Alright. In that case, goodnight my little twins." I smiled. I started to walk out of the room, but LB stopped me.

"Mommy?" I heard her little voice and turned to her. "How come you've been acting different?"

I gave her a surprised look and walked more into the room. "What do you mean, baby?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes, it just seems like…you're not there. Like you don't pay attention or something."

"I noticed that too." Dallas chimed in.

I just stared at them for a moment. I felt horrible inside after they just told me that. I had no idea that they realized there was something off about me. I silently cursed myself for that. The last thing I want to do is make my babies worry. I cleared my throat. "Mommy just has a lot on her mind right now." I used the excuse that every adult uses when they are going through something. "But I'll be fine. Please don't worry about me." I smiled and just looked at them for a minute. "How about getting some sleep now?" I nodded and slowly left their bedroom.

I sighed as soon as I got back to the kitchen. "Hey." Daryl said behind me. I didn't even know he was there. "Ya okay?"

I looked at him and sighed again. "No."

"What do ya mean no? What's wrong?" He gave me look.

I hesitated just then. "…nothing." I shook my head. "I'm just…tired." I gave him a small smile. "And a little dizzy."

Daryl seemed to look around me, he licked his lips then nodded. "I'll take care 'a this. You go ahead to bed."

I hesitated again. "…are you sure? I mean…there's a lot. We could both do it. It would go a lot faster."

"Nah. I got it." He kissed my forehead. "Just go to bed." He gave my backside a light swat. I smiled.

"Well, if you insist." I gave in and just let him do it. I felt kind of bad but he offered so… I stood there for a moment watching him, he just got started on cleaning up. I stared at his back. I bit my lip. "I'm pregnant again." I said.

Daryl stopped and spun around facing me. "What?" His eyes were slightly wide. I just nodded. "Are you sure? You know?"

"I know." I stated calmly. "I already went to the doctor."

Daryl seemed to calm down a little and didn't look as surprised as he did a moment ago. "We both said we didn't want no more kids." He said roughly. "I thought we was bein' careful about this—

"We were." I said before he even finished his sentence. "I don't know what happened." I paused and just watched my husband carefully. He didn't look mad but he didn't exactly look happy either. I didn't even know if I was happy about it. He sighed and looked away. "Look," I grabbed his hands, "I didn't want to either, but…it's happening…and there's nothing we can do about it." He looked up at me then. "So, we're having another baby." I sort of shrugged.

Daryl was quiet. "Yeah." He finally said. "That's what it looks like." He still didn't look happy, though, which made me nervous.

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